The Haunt
by Ayamegurl8
Summary: Uchiha Sarada, an innocent to the ills and impurities of the world she was born into, is the only daughter of the wealthy Uchiha family. Unbeknownst to everyone, except her mother, danger lurks. One of the baby's gifts hosts a living and breeding creature of destruction, an embodiment of hatred itself. Find out what happens to this family in their battle between life and death.
1. Prologue

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story except the storyline itself.

Hi guys. This is the first fanfic written by me and also my first attempt at writing a horror story. I've read lots of horror novels that really gave me the chills and here I am hoping you get at least a little scare from my story. This is my first fanfic so please go easy on me. Give me your comments please. Libel and rude remarks and are not welcome, but apparently, am liable to get them so feel free to tell me how you feel about my story.

Well this story focuses on the Uchiha family being haunted, maybe or maybe not (am not sure myself but let's keep reading to know how it turns out). Well, i was thinking of making it a Sakusara novel but we'll see about that.

I got my inspiration from **Anabelle the movie** because I could see a Sakusara possibility in there but rest assured, it is not a spoiler for you guys that have not watched the movie and the movie isn't a spoiler to you guys that are yet to read my story. I did not really watch the movie though, I got the storyline from my brother and also read it from the net. I read horror novel and hardly watch them.

I hope you enjoy it. Comment and vote please. I don't have much friends, but that can change over time.

 **May the reading begin!!**

Toodles...

*

 **PROLOGUE**

What a stressful day it had been! the pregnant woman that was expecting the arrival of her baby girl, hopefully in the next four months, exclaimed. Her mentor and family doctor, Dr. Tsunade, had said that the baby was due early April.

She laid on the bed that she shared with her husband, thinking about the baby shower that had ended an hour ago. Lots of people had visited and brought gifts for the unborn baby. It had been fun, of course. All the items brought; toys, clothes, shoes and other babycare stuffs, where placed in the nursery. All that was left was the arrival of the rightful owner of the room.

The fun and merriment eventually came to an end and the couples decided to chase everyone to their respective houses. She was now currently on her bed, waiting for her husband who was taking his shower. And all this waiting was making her hungry.

The sound of the running shower died down, indicating that her husband had finished his task of getting cleaned up. She climbed down the bed and the door to the bathroom opened almost immediately.

"What's wrong?"came the worried voice of her husband. Sakura looked at him, "Am hungry. I think I'll go eat the remaining dumplings in the fridge."

She went out of the room and made her way to the kitchen. The penthouse that they lived in, already dark and chilly because they had locked up for the night, was luxurious and offered a great view of Konoha, but she had no time to dwell on that again because she had always been enthralled at the magnificent view of this country at night.

She opened the fridge, took out the leftover dumplings and made no efforts to reheat it. She wasn't always a fan of hot meals and the dumplings wasn't all that cold either, so she started eating and made her way to the sitting room to enjoy the view while she was at it.

When she was done, she washed her plates, switched off the lights and went upstairs.

She was about to open the door to her room when she noticed something amiss. She looked and wondered, 'didn't I lock that door?' If there was something Sakura Uchiha was undoubtedly sure of, it was the fact that she was and always is an organised person with a photographic memory. She had in fact locked that door.

The door to Sarada's room was standing ajar and something that seemed like a transient bright light beamed in the room, reflecting very faintly in the hallway.

Goose pimples pricked her skin and she was of the mind to either enter her room and go to sleep or get her husband to confirm if she was really seeing what she was seeing and not hallucinating.

But her body seemed to have disobeyed her brain or mind and carried itself to the room at the end of the hallway. Very slowly, she took steady steps towards the room. Walking with caution as if she was approaching an untamed wild animal.

Before her brain could give a proper command, her right hand with a mind of its own, held the doorknob and pulled the door very slowly. She peered into the room, not knowing what to do, and saw that the light was actually reflecting from outside the penthouse. 'But the whole of Konoha is downhill from here and no other tall building laid beside this one' she thought.

Just then, somebody or something had placed its hand on her shoulders, derailing her thoughts. Startled, she jumped and yelped immediately.

"Hey calm down, its me." She recognised the voice instantly and turned around. "Why did you do that? You scared Sarada and I to death" his wife answered, holding a hand to her chest to control her breathing. She could literally feel her heart pumping a hundred times per second.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. The both of you. I saw you walk in here and I called you but I didn't know that your mind was elsewhere" Sasuke explained as he patted her on the shoulder. "What are you doing here?" When he did not get an answer, he sighed. "Come on, let's get you to bed. All the excitement today must have really tired you out."

With that said, he beckoned her to their room and closed the door to the nursery behind them. She spared one last glance at the door before entering their bedroom.

Everything seemed fine but she did not fail to notice that ominous feeling that washed over her, the minute she peered into the nursery.

She let those thoughts go and welcomed sleep in her husband's arms.

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Unknown to them, in the cold and peaceful blanket of darkness in Sarada's future room, a pair of bright red eyes opens. It had seen its new prey/host/playmate, it didn't know.

A light and silent chuckle emits from inside the creature. ' ** _Soon it will be time, soon it will strike and soon it will get what it wants._** ' It thought.

Let the fun begin.


	2. Chapter 1

_This goes to my number one reviewer. I'm so grateful. Writers are really trying because it takes a lot of effort to compose a story. Again, thank you Uma FicWriter for your review. I hope a lot of you can try to leave your good and bad comments; you know what they say, a drop of water can fill a mighty ocean. Well, with no further ado, here is the first chapter._

 **CHAPTER ONE**

"A little more to the left, dear" the sound of the sweet voice of Uchiha Sakura resounded in the room. "No stop. Now just tilt your left hand a little bit"

"Make up your mind already. I've been to this spot before" replied her husband, Sasuke, in a condescending tone. "And I think, I have a cramp in my arms now"

Here they are in their daughter's room, making it baby proof and adjusting some minor fixtures. Sakura has Sarada cradled in her arms while her husband did the arrangement. "Oh! Stop being a big baby. My arms are tied with one now and I don't think I can handle two..." Her husband raised an eyebrow and shot her a look that said 'come on, complete that sentence'. Sakura chuckled and said "...and I don't think I can handle two for now, happy?"

"Hn, am I done here? My arms are killing me" he said. As if on cue, Sarada cooed and Sasuke took that as a yes without waiting for his wife's answer.

"You make hanging a picture frame sound so difficult" said Sakura as her husband took Sarada from her arms into his. "Look who was just complaining about cramps" she said as she marched to the frame and did the final invincible adjustment. "There! Now was that so hard?", her husband couldn't help rolling his eyes. "Good for you" he muttered and returned his attention to his daughter.

"Dear, we have to move Sarada's crib. The summer sun is scorching hot and it will reflect on her legs if the crib is in this position."

She thought she heard her husband grumble but paid no heed to it. She was about to say something but was cut short at sound of the doorbell. "I'll go get it. I bet it's Naruto and Hinata. Quite the early visitors they are"

She stepped out of the nursery, into the corridor, made her way past the master bedroom and two guestrooms, descended the stairs and made her way to the door.

"Took you long enough to open the door. It must be one heck of a house that the idiot got here."a handsome guy with sun-kissed hair said as he made his way into the house uninvited.

" Nice to see you too, Naruto. Oh! Please come in" Sakura said dryly. Just then, she noticed the absence of his partner "Where is Hinata?"

Naruto who had been busy looking round the house turned to face her. "She and Ino will be over in a few hours. Baby issues. She told me to leave first because they will go shopping and they wanted to get something for Sarada too. Speaking of which, where is my goddaughter and that husband of yours?

"I'm right here Naruto and don't place that curse on my daughter again" Sasuke said as he emerged from the kitchen with Sarada encircled in his left hand and a glass of water in his right hand.

"What curse?"asked Naruto innocently.

"The 'goddaughter' curse." The raven haired Uchiha replied monotonously.

"And how is Sarada being my goddaughter a curse, you idiot?" Naruto asked with a sly look on his face which later turned to one of amusement and mockery. "Are you afraid that she will love me than you or that she will take my bright personality instead of your boring and brooding persona?"

"Hn, I'm afraid that your stupidity will rub off on her and that is an irrevocable curse on its own." Sasuke replied with a smirk visible on his face knowing that he had popped a vein or two on his best friend's face.

"Will you two ever grow up? And don't drag Sarada in your bickering." The Uchiha matriarch said with a sense of finality that sliced through the squabble thereby putting it to an end and shutting Naruto who was about to make a nice comeback.

"And you" she said addressing Naruto. "How could you leave your wife and son to go shopping on their own?"

Naruto looking taken aback could only look and then opened his mouth "She said it was ok for me to go since she's with Ino and..."

"And nothing Naruto. It was not gentleman-ish to leave her like that. You should have just followed them to buy whatever it was that she wanted to buy and...you now what,I'm tired. I'll just go to the kitchen now. And Sarada will soon be hungry too..." She sighed and went to the kitchen.

"What's wrong with her? You must be stressing her big time." Naruto commented, chuckling awkwardly.

Sasuke sighed and made his way to the living room. He set the glass cup of water on the stool and sat on a couch. Sarada still bouncing in his arms. Naruto followed suit and made himself comfortable on the couch. Then he scooped the 3 months old infant from her father's arms and settled her on his laps. "Doctor Tsunade said that she has post natal depression. She gets mood swings and is often absentminded." He paused and saw that Naruto was looking at him absorbing what he was saying. Then he shifted his attention to his daughter who was cooing. "On some occasions, she was afraid of carrying Sarada because she felt that she would drop her. She gets upset oftentimes and she developed insomnia and Sakura has never had that before" He sighed once again. Then he saw that Sarada was getting upset and was on the verge of wailing. Naruto saw this too and pouted, feeling disconcerted that she chose that time to cry. Sasuke took that as a sign that she was hungry and decided to take her to her mother in the kitchen. Within a few minutes, he was back in the living room making his way to the couch where his best friend was. Sakura, with the wailing infant in her arms, came out of the kitchen and made her way up the stairs probably to the masters bedroom to feed Sarada.

"I don't think Hinata has this depression stuff that you are talking about. Well, there was a time that she was scared of carrying Boruto because she didn't want to drop him but that doesn't count, right?" Naruto asked feeling like he had not paid proper attention to his wife like he did to his son.

Sasuke just looked at him. Offering words of comfort to people that are not necessarily his wife, was foreign to him. "Dr. Tsunade said that more than 1 out of 10 women has it few months after birth. In few cases, the fathers can also be affected but that is by the way." He said as if he was reciting it from a tablet. He ran his right hand through his raven locks out of tiredness and rested his back on the couch.

"So are you saying that Hinata might have this depression stuff?"asked Naruto who could not understand what he had heard. Sasuke looked at him, feeling annoyed about having this discussion." I don't know. Do I look like a doctor to you?"he answered.

Naruto did not say anything about that again, making a mental note to take his wife for a checkup ASAP. "So how is Sakura holding up? How did she feel about it?"

"Being a doctor herself, she did not make a big deal out of it. She said that it can wear off over time. She has had some counselling from Shizune at the hospital and a little from me too. She also takes antidepressants once in a while. So she'll live" he said with his tone rising an octave at the end.

"When are you going to resume?" Sasuke asked feeling the need to change the conversation they had. "Next Wednesday, what about you?" Naruto growled.

Sasuke looked at him and chuckled. "You still have three days to stay at home and rest and you are grumbling. Well, as for me, I'm on leave for the next two weeks. The corp can survive without me since its in the capable hands of Kakashi." He remembered how the silver haired man had chased him out of the office a week ago.

"Tch. I'm sure he's just busy reading that stupid porn book that he was born with."added Naruto. "Man, I'm starving. You are a real pro when it comes to serving your guest. Your hospitality rivals that of a caveman."Naruto said, voice tinted with sarcasm while he stood and headed for the kitchen.

The Uchiha patriarch claimed the remaining space of the long couch. He laid down crossed his arms under his head and closed his eyes. "You practically made yourself feel at home the minute you walked in through that door and you are expecting me to offer you something. Tch! Deadlast." Naruto did not answer him, maybe he had not heard what his friend had said or he was just too hungry to reply.

Sasuke appeared to be relaxing but was really in a deep thought. He had lost his parents to a mugger when he was fifteen years old. His elder brother, who was five years older than he was and a legal adult by then, took him under his wing. Later on, he met Sakura and Naruto in high school and the trio had become inseparable. They had graduated from college together with Naruto becoming a notable politician and Sakura, a renowned medical doctor. His parents were wealthy and had left a lot of money and properties to their sons, in their will. Sasuke had worked hand in hand with his elder brother, Itachi, in the Uchiha Corporation until he took over after he lost his brother to a car accident.

Indeed, those where the hard times. It looked as if fate was mocking him. All love was taken from him and he almost embraced a life of solitude. But that was when Sakura came in and proved his theory wrong; that he was surrounded by love. It hit him hard when he realised his feelings for her. They eventually got married and had their daughter a year after their marriage.

Life had been as sweet as honey since the day he laid eyes on his daughter. Just the thought of her had put a smile on his face. The first time he set his eyes on her, it was as though he entered a trance. He was very grateful and contented with the life he had now and there was nothing else he could wish for...well, except the end of his wife's nagging. He had passed it off during her pregnancy but it seems to have continued afterwards. Different thoughts ran through his head and he did not know when he had entered the clutches of a peaceful slumber.

XXXX

After Sakura had taken Sarada from her husband, she marched up the stairs and went to the room that she and Sasuke shared. Sarada's face had turn red from the crying and Sakura felt her heart drop just by looking at her. "There, there sweetie" she said as she was rocking her with her left arm while she undid a few buttons of her shirt so she could breastfeed her baby.

After she had ensured that her baby was comfortable while she was sucking, she couldn't help the smile that stretched on her face.

"You know you are so demanding, right. You are the most adorable thing in this world. Don't tell your daddy that, you hear me." This lasted a few minutes with Sakura muttering few baby words and Sarada just looking at her mother while sucking.

When Sarada had finished her meal, Sakura buttoned up and carried the infant towards her chest with the baby's head nestled on her shoulder. She stood up and started pacing around the room while patting the baby's back waiting for her to burp. "Now, next on your to-do list is to burp and sleep. I think your dad and I just got a good break." Sakura said. It's true what they say, babies turns their mothers into mad people, as the mothers talks to herself without bothering to get a reply. A burpy sound emitted from the baby in her arms. Sakura started humming a lullaby and continued patting Sarada's back but this time, in a soothing manner.

She took in her surroundings while she was at it. The room was spick-and-span as always. The furnitures and fixtures were furbished and the cream coloured walls, with the help of the sunlight, help illuminate the room. A king sized bed was situated in the middle of the room and it seemed to help reduce the vastness of the room. From the spot she stood, facing the door to the room with her back facing the bed, a large closet stood at her right hand side and their bathroom, on the left. She walked towards the closet and made her way to stand in front of her full body length mirror, that hung adjacent to the closet. She looked at herself in the mirror and then to the being bundled in her arms.

She had been told that she was experiencing post partum depression and she had promised, for the sake of her child that she would not let that ruin the relationship that has yet to bloom between them. She looked down at the child in her arms that was already fast asleep and her peaceful face had made her resolve stronger.

She made her way out of the room, making sure to close the door behind her, and headed to the nursery to put her baby girl in her crib. She entered Sarada's room and placed her gently in her crib careful not to wake her.

It had come to her mind that neither she or her husband had repositioned the crib earlier so she went to the window and drew the curtain.

The room was airy. Filled with all the toys and gifts that friends and families had given Sarada during her baby shower and after her birth. Even the miniature race car that Kiba got for her, because he did not get the memo that they were expecting a girl, still laid across the room near the shelf filled with dolls and other toys.

Satisfied that she had done a job well-done in tucking her daughter to sleep, she made for the door, not without sparing one final glance at her daughter. She was about to close the door and step into the hallway when a rush of an eerie and dark aura whizzed passed her. She may or may not have felt goosebumps appear on her skin. She lingered at the doorway for another minute or two and decided to pass it off that she was being delusional.

Just then, she heard a knock on the door downstairs and quickly and silently closed the door to the nursery and ran down the stairs

There was a 'ding dong' sound and that seemed to to draw him out of his reverie/state of slumber, he couldn't tell. It took a second or two before his brain could match that sound to that of the doorbell.

"I'll get it" came the voice of his wife who was already near the door. Suddenly, a loud shriek that rivalled that of a banshee echoed in the living room and the owner of the dreadful sound walked in and wrapped his wife in her arms. Beside the new visitor was a little boy with blonde hair and pale skin that looked a year old. "Sakura baby, I haven't seen you in forever. How are you doing? You don't look like someone that just sprouted a baby Uchiha. Oh my gosh, I've missed you so very much!!" He already knew who it was and was now very sure that he was fully awake.

"Ino, keep it down, will you. You're still as loud an boisterous and fat as ever" said the pink haired Uchiha. "Oh! Forgive me for wanting to greet my BFF that I have not seen for two freaking years."Ino said in a sulky manner.

Naruto decided to make an appearance then. Sasuke had noticed that he had been there for quite some time now and couldn't help wondering. "What have you been doing in my kitchen, Naruto?" Meanwhile, the man in question just offered a sheepish smile and opened his mouth, ready to say something when he was interrupted.

"Hi Sakura, Sasuke. Ino, please help me with this bag. That's the one with Sarada's stuffs." Hinata Uzumaki had spoken in a gentle voice. She had a duffle bag in one hand and a baby boy in the other. Ino did as requested and handed the bag over to Sakura. "Awww, thanks you guys. You shouldn't have. Come on in." They all came in and went straight to the living room to join the two men.

"Hello Sasuke-kun, long time no see" greeted Ino who got a 'hn' from the addressed man. "Where is Sarada. I would like to meet my goddaughter now please. Inojin would like it too, right Inojin?" Sasuke could feel himself getting frustrated with the two supposed 'godparents' in his house but made no comment. The little boy, Inojin, shook his head to answer his mother's question and leaned into the chair with his arms crossed.

"She just slept off not so long before you arrived. Its a miracle that she did not wake up when you rushed in here screaming like you were on fire" Mrs Uchiha replied. "Well, I'll go get some snacks." with that said, she went off to the kitchen.

When she returned to the sitting room, they chatted about some nonsensical things about work, their husbands, baby blues and whatnot much to the men's agitation and to the women's amusement. They laughed and joked around, feeling like they had no care for the world.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Meanwhile, in the lovely confines of Sarada's room, something feels out of place,or rather something moves. Not the infant, no, but the thing that may or may not have been gifted to the girl during her mother's baby shower and after her birth.

The 'thing' that was in the plastic that hosts it, that was on the shelf, comes out and makes 'its' way to the baby crib. It saunters quietly with all the graces of a royal. It did not bother to make haste; why would it? When its presence cannot be sensed by humans. A smile tugged at the corners of the creatures mouth before busting to a full grin. The only thing that it needed to do to get the job done, was to not alarm and awaken the 'ugly looking creature' in the crib.

It stands in front of the crib, blocking the little light that brightened the room. Its being, overshadowing and towering, released an air of eerie breeze in the room.

The figure looms over the baby. Then it raises a finger, a finger with a long horrifying nail, and reaches for the infant. The infant that was lying on her side was then turned and she lays on her back;an involuntary motion indeed because she did not turn on her own will, she was turned. And now the finger of the 'thing' comes towards her and rests on her chest for a millisecond, then it moves and lays its grotesque looking hand on the infants arm leaving a mark on her wrist. The mark had disappeared no sooner than it had appeared. It wasn't visible to anyone who beholds the baby, except the condition that they possessed a certain power of old.

' _Mission accomplished_ ' Then a wide malicious grin spreads across the thing's face, the mouth only visible with the eyes concealed. All in all, whatever skin that may have appeared on this creature looked rotten; an eye sore.

It grinned, feeling like it had achieved whatever it wanted to achieve. It then moves to it's host or house on the shelf, feeling contented with its little victory.

This event takes place, with the people downstairs oblivious to what had just transpired. All this happened and all but one person in the house, had a feeling that something creepy was going on. That person being Uchiha Sakura.

Author's Note:

How is it? I hope you like it. I really need some encouragement. Please dont be a silent reader. Feed me, i beg of you.


	3. Chapter 2

Here is an update. Thank you guys for reading this story. Please bear with me. I have been using my phone to write this story and it has been quite challenging. Anyway, I'm done with this chapter, so enjoy.

 **CHAPTER 2**

 ** _Five years later_**

The sun rays reflected in the once dimly lit room, casting down a torturing heat on the face of the occupant of the room thereby dragging her, rather unwillingly, from her sleep-induced state. She could have sworn that she put those curtains down.

It took a lot of her will power to crack an eye open because she was tempted to ignore the burning sensation that crept up her face and run to the sweet and peaceful embrace of sleep.

Her whole body ached from the work she had done at the hospital the previous day. So she took all the strength that she could muster from her body and pushed them all to her arms. The limbs responded and lifted her up giving her the opportunity to take in her surroundings.

She looked around and saw that she was in the sitting room. Yes, she had locked all the doors and the windows the night before but she had chosen to do some paperwork on the couch near the window, since sleep had refused to visit her early last night.

She packed up all her work tools and trudged up the stairs, not forgetting to open up the locked windows to let fresh air roam the house. She entered the hallway, expecting her legs to carry her straight to her room to complete the wonderful exercise that her body had yet to finish due to the sun's rude interruption but it made a beeline to the room diagonally opposite hers.

She cracked the door open a little and peered into the room expecting to see her little angel asleep with her stuffed Suki doll in her arms as always but she had been greeted with an empty bed. The ruffled sheets and overturned duvet hinted that it had been slept on. Sakura opened the door and stepped into the room, walking towards the bathroom in her daughter's room. It was opened and showed no sign of being occupied at the moment.

She took in a calming breath, careful not to panic until she had checked every nook and cranny of this goddamned mansion. She took long strides out of the room, closed the door behind her and opened the door to the master bedroom. Relief flooded her at the sight she met.

There lying on her husband's side of the bed with her head nestled in the pillow, was her daughter. Her short jet black hair splayed on the pillow with her body lying sideways. Sakura walked closer to the bed to get a clearer view.

Sarada was sound asleep, her face so peaceful in her state of oblivion. She had her precious doll, Suki, wrapped up in her arms. Suki was just about the same size of a baseball bat, with a long brown hair and wide blue eyes. It was clothed in an off-white coloured jumpsuit. Sarada had outgrown, and actually begged for the disposal of, all her toys except this particular doll.

Sakura had prayed for the day that she will give up on Suki but that dawn had not broken yet. There is still hope though, being four years old can still be an excuse for her carrying that stuffed doll around. She'll get older and dump the stupid thing.

The girl in question opened her eyes to reveal a nice pair of onyx eyes, and looked somewhat dazed at her mother who hadn't realised that she was staring. "Mama?" She sat up on the bed, not forgetting to do the same to her doll, and rubbed her eyes lazily with the hand devoid of the doll.

"Morning sweetie. How was your night?"she asked as she plopped down on the bed and moved closer to her daughter. "Mm it was fine Mama. Where is Papa? He promised that he was going to come home last night."she pouted. She had stayed awake on her bed waiting for her father to come home and when she felt that sleep will stop her from achieving that goal, she went to her parents room and laid on her father's side of the bed. She did not see her mum and had assumed that she went to get a cup of water or something.

Sakura did not want to handle these situations again for she hated seeing her baby sad. "Your Papa was called back to the office. There was nothing he could do about it, Sarada. You know he is doing all these things for us to be happy, right?" She tried to explain but got no reaction from her, then she tried another approach.

She got her phone and dialed her husband's number. He picked up on the second ring. " _Hey, what's up_ " came the baritone voice on the other line. Sakura looked at Sarada, who was just moping and twirling Suki's hair.

"Hi, good morning dear,"she turned and saw that she had somehow caught her daughter's attention. "Someone is very angry with you at the moment. She said that you didn't keep your promise." A sigh came from the man on the other line. " _Please give her the phone_."

"Sarada, your Papa wants to talk to you" her face brightened up upon hearing that and she took the device that was handed to her and put it up to her ear. "Papa?"

" _Hey baby, how are you?_ " inquired her father. "Papa, why didn't you come. You promised that last night was movie night but Mama made me go to bed early because you didn't show up" she said, completely ignoring her father's greetings.

" *sigh* _I'm very sorry Sarada, but i was very busy_." This made the girl really sad. " _Tell you what,_ _why don't you and Mama get dressed and I'll come pick you guys up, say ten o'clock, and we'll go to Uncle Chouji's restaurant. How about that?_ " Sarada's face perks up at that. "That sounds great. We'll get ready. You better keep your promise this time." She then passed the phone back to her mother.

"Sasuke-kun, are you there?". Sarada had jumped down from the bed and was out of the room before she could blink twice. " _Yeah I'm here. How are you_?" he asked and for once in that morning, he got a reply to that question. "I'm ok, just a little tired from yesterday's work. What did you say to Sarada that got her excited?"

" _Just trying to make it up to her by taking you guys to Chouji's restaurant. That should calm her down a bit. I'll be home by ten so get ready_." he explained. Oh! How she missed him. She was the doctor; the one that was supposed to be in the hospital saving lives, the one that was meant to be in the office right now. It's not as if her husband was not allowed to stay at work. It's just that they had wanted to spare their daughter the heartache of growing up with two unavailable parents. They had been dedicated to their work when Sarada started school, but their devotion to work had led their daughter to get withdrawn at such a young age, and thanks to that, Suki had been her first friend.

Sasuke then told her to stick to running the affairs of the hospital, not necessarily working as a doctor, but acting as a general overseer. She would do this while he worked overtime to keep the money flowing. She checked the clock that hung in their room, 8:32am it read.

"Okay dear. Would you like anything in particular to eat?"she asked standing up from the bed and going to the bathroom. " _Sakura, we are going to eat out. Didn't you hear what I just told you?_ " Sasuke said tiredly. Apparently she had heard very little before she became mesmerized by her husband's voice.

"Oh sorry. I'm going to take a shower. Be safe. Love you." She said quickly. "Hn, you too" then the transmission was cut off by the man on the other line.

Sakura dropped her phone and went to her daughter's room to check what she was doing. She could hear the muffled voice of her daughter, talking to no one in particular and she didn't know if she should find the situation cute and funny or if she should be bothered by it. She chose the former. The girl must be really excited about the outing. Maybe she can't wait to see her friend Chōchō, Chouji's daughter.

She opened the door and on getting inside, she did not like what she saw. It would have sounded like the girl was talking to herself, to anyone who was eavesdropping, but she had been talking to no one other than...Suki? The plushy doll was sitting comfortably on Sarada's small armchair, that had been dragged from the child-sized vanity to be placed opposite the closet, courtesy of Sarada.

"Hey what are you doing? And who were you talking to?"she asked despite knowing the answer. She inched towards the armchair, trying to get a better view of the godforsaken doll and maybe expecting it to turn and say something like 'Hi there, how you chilling?' because she did feel chilly, honest to God. "I was talking to Suki. I told her that she will pick out the dress that I'll wear today. So what do you think Mama, should I wear this yellow gown or this blue one?" Sarada asked while holding the two dresses. Sakura must have been staring at the doll longer than normal because she had not heard the question directed to her. "Mama, are you okay?" Well, that seemed to have drawn her out of her daydream because she turned to face the little onyx eyed girl.

"I'm fine Sarada. But when did you start picking out your clothes? I'm the one that does that." Sakura asked for she had an unsettling feeling that did not sit well in her guts.

"It's no big deal Mama, I'll still do it when am a big girl, right? My birthday is next week too and Suki said that i will be a big girl." She shrugged. "So which is it, the blue or yellow gown?"Sarada asked impatiently.

Sakura stared at her dumbfounded. Sarada was a smart girl alright but this was clearly not the response that you get from a four year old. ' _Oooooh! That doll has got to go_ ' her eyes narrowed to slits at that thought. "The blue one." She answered. "I'll run you a hot bath, how's that sound?"

"That's sounds good, thanks Mama." With that reply, she simply turned around and went to her room. All the while she felt something, like eyes, boring into her head. Surely, she must be out of her mind.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura stood in front of the mirror, sizing herself up. She wanted to wear something comfortable that can withstand the abnormal heat. Who knew so much sun could come out during March. She don on a sleeveless knee-length gown. It was a mint green coloured gown that had floral patterns printed on it. The gown hugged her body from the top to her stomach area and flayed from there to her knee. The gown was free and comfortable and just the way she liked it. Perfect.

She put on a pair of cream coloured flats and tied her pink shoulder length hair into a ponytail. She had bathed Sarada and dressed her up before she did her own morning rituals. Sarada was currently in her room playing with Suki while Sakura applied a finishing touch to her make up.

She had asked Sarada if she was hungry but the girl had shook her vigorously, waiting eagerly for the clock to strike at ten. She looked at the clock, 'Twenty five minutes past nine. There's roughly thirty minutes left. Well, if those two are not hungry, I'll go make myself a cup of tea and maybe eat some cookies too.'

At that thought, a rumbling sound came from her stomach giving her the confirmation that it needed attention right now. She marched across the room and into the hallway. She could hear the distinct voice of her daughter through the door. She went downstairs and entered the kitchen to make a cold cup of chocolate. 'Anything hot in this weather might increase my temperature or even better; might give me a heat stroke' she thought jokingly.

She had made the cold choco just the way she liked it, sweet and scrumptious. "Choco a la Sakura, Check. Now for the cookies"She reached for the upper cabinet and opened it 'The cookie jar should be in here somewhere. Aha found ya" she grabbed the jar and was about to close the cabinet door when she felt a presence accompanied by a gust of bone-chilling wind. She turned around abruptly, hands lowered down with the cookie jar still intact. "Who's there" she looked around her and saw nothing. 'Maybe it was just the wind.' she thought. 'But you know that was more than a little wind right?' her mind had spoken. She quickly took a little plate and placed three pieces of cookies in it.

She turned back to the cabinet that she took the cookies from, when she felt the same presence from before. The pressure in the room was not as tense as it had been the first time she felt the strange presence. This time, it wasn't as close as it had been before but the presence lingered all the same. She turned around just in time to see something white pass by. It looked like the edge of a cloth but it had passed just outside the kitchen door. "Sarada?" she called out, not in a loud voice of course, but in a voice that would have perked the ears of listeners within the range of the kitchen and the living room. "Sarada, honey are you there?"...no answer came.

Slowly, she dropped the cookie jar on the kitchen counter and and took out a frying pan from the cabinet, holding it with her two hands and going on a defensive while proceeding to the kitchen door with caution. She peeped into the living room and saw...nothing. She lowered her arms that had turned white from clutching the frying pan a little too hard. 'I must be out of my wits. What was I thinking will be out here; a robber, rapist, kidnapper or maybe a ghost because of that spooky breeze' she chuckled nervously.

CRASH* She turned around immediately at the sound of shattering glass. Her heart was doing cartwheels at this moment and she put a hand on her mouth to contain the scream that was threatening to tear out from her throat. She looked around for the source of the noise. At the same time, she felt another presence running towards her and stopping behind her. The presence felt overpowering so it was not her little girl that was behind her and she acted on instinct; her brain not comprehending anything except 'That is not Sarada, that is not Sarada, that is not Sarada.'

In a matter of seconds, she immediately did a one-eighty. Her hands, wielding the frying pan, moved faster than her brain and body. The frying pan was aimed for the head of the being/intruder/ghost/thing, whatever it was, but was stopped in mid-air by a strong hand.

"Sakura, what the hell!?"at the sound of that voice, she was put at ease. She blinked a few times as if she was in a daze and looked up at the tired, worried and alarmed face of her husband. There was a faint sound of a little feet approaching them and then, their daughter came in."Mama, what happened?"her voice sounded scared and worried. "Papa!" she exclaimed in surprise

That voice seemed to have dragged her from her stupor because she lowered her hand and took a calming breath. Sarada came up to her father, waiting for him to carry her. "Hey there, how is my little princess?"he asked as he picked her up. Sarada giggled "I'm fine Papa and me and Mama are ready now" Sasuke nodded. "Ok then. Why don't you go to your room and wait. I'll call you when your Mama and I are ready."

The girl looked at her father and pouted "But Paapaa, Mama is ready already." "Sarada just wait in your room till I get you ok?" Sakura had said calmly but leaving no room for further discussions. "Alright Mama" Sasuke dropped the little girl down and she ran off to her room.

"Now, would you like to tell me what that was all about? He asked pointing to the frying pan in her hand. Immediately, she remembered something that she had completely ignored before her husband's arrival. She continued looking around, forgetting to answer the question posed at her. She went around the counter, dropped the pan on it and stood there shell shocked as she looked at what laid on the ground. "Sakura?" worry was etched in his voice this time around. "Huh? Oh! I'm sorry" that was all she could say. Sasuke came to meet her around the counter "Sakura, what's wrong? Are you feeling sick or--" he was cut short when he saw the mess on the floor behind the counter. "What happened here" he questioned looking at what he assumed was the shattered glass of the cookie jar. "Are you hurt?"

"..." no reply. "Sakura will you snap out of it and answer me?" he sounded angry and annoyed this time and that tone of voice really slapped her back to reality.

"I'm sorry, I put that jar on the counter..i..i..I don't know how it fell, I put there--on the counter, it wasn't supposed to fall. I don't understand what's going on" she stuttered, not completely making sense. "Sakura hey, relax. Why don't you go and sit down while I clean up this mess since you're still shaken up" Sasuke said as he dragged her to the living room. She walked liked a puppet, simply keeping quiet while her husband towed her away. Then everything caught up to her and she pulled her hand away from the man. "When did you come back. I didn't even hear you at the door?" she asked.

"I heard something break in the kitchen immediately I walked in through the door . And when I came here, you were more than ready to smash my face in." He said, then he remembered something "Why were you holding that pan?"

"I saw something or someone and I thought a burglar broke in or something-" Sasuke's eyes widened "a burglar?" he asked breaking her off. "Yes, I mean no, I don't know. I just felt someone's presence or something's..." she broke off, sounding unsure and Sasuke raised an eyebrow "...but my point is, I felt someone pass by the kitchen. I put the cookie jar that I was holding, on the counter, then I took out the frying pan. I swear on my father's grave that I put the jar far from the edge of the counter, so it couldn't have rolled down...at all." She explained sounding like she was trying to convince both she and her husband.

"O-ok, so are you telling me that you saw the burglar?" he was really getting annoyed at this point. "No, no one was there" she answered. The raven haired man sighed, while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Let me check round the house then" he replied and left. She felt so stupid and sorry for Sasuke. He had come home tired and had to put up with her craziness; yes, he didn't say it but she knew that he felt she was. She trudged to the kitchen and cleaned it up.

'So much for wanting a cup of cold chocolate with cookies.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Exhausted! he was exhausted. It was worth it if Sarada had fun and forgave him for not 'fulfilling his promise'. After he left Sakura, in the living room, to check the house for the 'burglar' that she had sensed, he went to change his clothes and freshened up when his search had proved futile.

Sarada was already sound asleep and tucked in bed while Sakura was taking a shower. Honestly, that woman was going to give him a migraine. This was not the first time that she had pulled a stunt like that. The first time, she said that something about the penthouse did not sit well with her. One day, she was in love with the house and its views and another day, she said that the house was creepy. He knew that look on her face, he knew when she was in that state. She would get distant, absentminded and paranoid and what bothered him the most was that he was getting accustomed to it. What was he supposed to do about it? He tried getting a psychiatrist for her and she had thrown a fit yelling things like 'my own husband thinks I'm crazy' and screaming obscenities at him. Naruto had whacked him in the head for doing that saying that she was a doctor on her own and surely she knew what was going on in her head.

He did not know what to do when she was in that state. All he knew was that he did not want to lose her. The shower was turned off and the woman he had been thinking of, walked out with a towel around her body. She must have used a shower cap because her hair was dry.

"Hey, I thought you would have been snoring by now" she said teasingly while sitting down on her side of the bed. "I don't feel sleepy" he said. 'LIAR' his inner had said and he was right. She had given him more than enough signs earlier that screamed 'I NEED TO TALK TO YOU BUT I'M NERVOUS' and now, she is sitting on the bed and looking at her fingers.

"Oh, okay then. I...need to, I mean...we need to talk." Bingo, sometimes he just knew her too well. She shifted herself to look at him and she covered herself very well with the towel. "Okay. So what do you wanna talk about?" he asked while sitting up to face her. She looked so beautiful and the lamp that stayed on the stool beside her headboard did a wonderful job illuminating her beauty. "Okay, so Sarada's birthday is in a few days-" He looked at her with a calculating gaze. "Yes, I knew that already. What about it? We said we'll just invite few of her friends to celebrate. Did I miss something?"

"No, you are right." Sasuke was skeptical. "Sakura, this isn't what you want to talk about." Said woman looked at him and sat up feeling confident now. "Yeah you're right. What I wanted to talk about was, um." She cleared her throat, "Well, what do you think of me? I mean you think I'm crazy right? With all my strange behaviors" she asked looking at him with sad and pleading doe eyes.

Just what did she want him to say. Yes, and he wreaks havoc or No and the discussion will go on longer than necessary. So he chose a neutral answer. "Hn, I never said you were crazy."

"But you still think I am. I mean, I haven't really given you any reason to doubt that, have I?" He shook his head "Sakura, I don't think your crazy, maybe stressed but not crazy" it was partially true though.

"Haa" she sounded unamused. "I'm hearing this from the person that called a psychiatrist for me. You don't call psychiatrists to attend to 'stressed' people, it's not in their line of duty." She said, her voice trembling a bit. "Sasuke, I'm sorry if I act all crazy but I can assure you that I am 100% sane. It's just that I feel like something's wrong and I get all creeped out when I feel like that"

"Sakura, it's alright. I understand" he said reaching out for her. "No, you don't, you think I'm out of my mind and I can tell. I just need you to trust me" she was crying this time and Sasuke hugged her. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you feel like this, Sakura. Stop crying"

"Hey, no more tears. I trust you Sakura just don't doubt me, okay" he kissed her forehead. She had calmed down and laughed amidst few droplets of tears. "I love you Sasuke-kun."

"And I you, Sakura" and then he captured her lips. He used one hand to switch off the lamp beside her.

Then they did what any couple would do in a room except play board games and cut toenails. They expressed their love for each with darkness being their only witness.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Something woke her up, she was forgetting something. So she came down from her bed and went to her vanity. She peered at the chair and saw who she was looking for "Oh hey. Sorry I didn't know when I slept off." She said as she carried what she had found to her bed.

' ** _No problem, Sara. You still remembered me even though you were already asleep_** ' it had said to her.

"Hmmm" she must have slept off. After a while, she spoke again. "Hey Suki" she looked at the plastic doll in her arms. ' ** _Yes Sara?_** ' it had said without moving its mouth. "You told me that this wasn't your real face, so when will I see your real face? When can I see you for real?" The soon to be five-years old girl asked. ' ** _Very soon Sara, very soon_**.' it answered after a few minutes.

"Will my Mama and Papa see you too?" She asked drowsily. ' ** _Oh Yes, yes they will_**.' Then Sarada's breathing had evened out, indicating that she was sleeping.

' ** _And they will wish that they hadn't.'_** it said diabolically.

Author's Note:

Well, what do you think? I'm coming around with the story pretty well, if i do say so myself. I don't know how many chapters i will make this story but i will try to make something. I already have it plotted and planned out in my mind, so I won't worry about having any writer's block.

I'll try to get the next chapter ready before the week ends. I have faith that the number of readers and reviewers will increase over time. Thanks once again.

Toodles...


	4. Chapter 3

_I'm back with an update. Thanks guys for your awesome reviews. I hope the story is and will still be to your fancy. I am just sharing what I have in my imagination. I do this to while away time until i go to school next month._

 _Have a good read_

 **CHAPTER 3**

 _ **Excerpts from Uchiha Sakura's journal** :_

 _May 29th, 2013_

 _It was a very busy day. The sun is setting and I am resting in my room. Just saw my journal and thought I could write away some stress placed on my head while my body had its break._

 _We just move into our brand new mansion, downtown Konoha. Oh! it's so beautiful. I didn't know that Sasuke-kun had a good taste in such 'frivolities', like my mother would call it. But i wouldn't call it that since it was given to me as my birthday gift. I grew up in an average family, we weren't rich and we were most certainly not poor, so there were some basic things about rich people that my mother did not like; like the way they lived life to the fullest without knowing life itself. She felt that way for kids that were born into riches and not for those who worked from the grassroot to become prominent_ figures. _No, these ones earned it._

 _Anyway, we just moved our things from the penthouse. I'll miss that place but from the bottom of my heart, all i want and have to say to that house is GOOD RIDDANCE. I did not like the tense atmosphere and I made sure to sound that fact in Sasuke-kun's ears. I definitely did not want Sarada to grow up there; it felt haunted. So, it seems Sasuke-kun took my perturbance with that house very serious and thought of the perfect birthday gift for Sarada and I; The Mansion. We were told that Sarada was due early April and my birthday was on March 28th, what a perfect timing it had been. It had been more perfect when Sarada arrived on March 31st, three days after my birthday._

 _We just finished arranging mine and Sasuke's room. Kakashi-sensei had helped out with some guys he hired, so all that is left is Sarada's room. Her crib, babycare items, toys and clothes were in her room just waiting to be fixed in the right positions. She will sleep with Sasuke-kun and I until we have the strength to face her room._

 _So nothing has changed. Ino and Sai are still in Sunagakure with their son, Inojin. Sai's partnership with Suna's best artist, Sasori, will soon be finalised so that means Ino will come soon. My God, I miss that pig. It's been two years since I saw her last and the next thing I heard from her was that she was pregnant and she just gave birth last year. She even sent me a few pictures of cute baby Inojin, awwwwn. Naruto, had gone to Amegakure for a peace treaty or something, can't remember. Politics bore me._ _Hinata is still here in konoha with baby Boruto. Apparently, her sister, Hanabi is staying with her while Naruto is away._

 _Ok, I'm feeling sleepy and I have nothing to write so till next time._

 _XXXXXXXXXXXX_

 _June 8th, 2013_

 _So, today was a blast and am finally free from thinking of when to fix Sarada's room. Apparently, Kakashi-sensei had chased Sasuke from the office for the next two weeks._

 _Thank you sooooo much Kakashi sensei. I get to have my man for two fucking weeks, cha!!!_

 _About today? well, it was fun and interesting. All my favorite people plus Sai came over. We talked and enjoyed each other's company and little Inojin was just tooo cute for my liking. I cuddled the life out of him and Boruto. Oh my gosh, Boruto was just soo restless. He did not want to sit down and always wanted to be carried. He was bouncing and sweating at the same time but refused to sit still; a bad character he got from Naruto alright. So glad Sarada's not like him. Sai came later on, looking pale as usual and his face betrayed no emotions at all._

 _Seriously, that guy's line of profession really did little to help his emotionally-constipated state. I mean, artists that you see on tv are always dramatic and appear to have lost their marbles but Sai is just...Sai. He walked in and dropped some stupid nicknames and comments like 'hey ugly, I heard you pooped out a creature. I hope u didn't scar it by giving it your appearance' and when Naruto laughed, he greeted him in the same manner, 'dickless, I didn't know you could copulate without ...' Honestly, how and why he and Ino fell in love, will forever remain a mystery. I admit, it was fun despite Sai's nature of polluting good ambiance, but... I couldn't help the feeling of paranoia that enveloped me when I thought of Sarada's room. I felt it again when we were downstairs with our friends. It was strange._

 _Sarada slept longer than usual. So I went upstairs to check up on her and I found her, still asleep. I stayed in the room for a little while and when i got tired of looking around the room, I took a seat and sat beside the crib. She was still breathing evenly and calmly but this was the longest she had slept. Then she turned to her side and I was already happy, thinking that she was awake already... I mean, the baby had been sleeping since 1:20pm, I was sure of the time because I checked, and now it was 3:27pm and she had not woken up or cried of hunger. She turned to lay on the left side of her body, facing me, when I saw something that got me curious. I saw something on her left hand, her wrist rather. It was a small red spiral-looking shape. It was barely visible, one could've mistaken it for a mirage, but I could still see something. I took her right arm carefully to study it but it had gone, completely gone. I blinked a few times and wiped my eyes and still looked but there was nothing. Sasuke came in, saw the way I was holding the girl and asked what was wrong. 'Nothing', I had told him 'nothing at all'. From the looks of it, we had left our guests downstairs. I contemplated whether I should wake Sarada up or leave her to her slumber, but she woke up before I could pick an answer._

 _I just finished feeding her for the night. If I mention this to Sasuke; about having the same feeling I had while in the penthouse, he will surely think me crazy. So I dropped the case but it did not stop the feeling from coming back once in a while._

 _XXXXXXXXX_

 _June 25th, 2013_

 _I woke up by 7am this morning. Sasuke resumed work yesterday, I will get to see little of him from now on. But we made the little time we had worthwhile. Sasuke-kun had gone to work, leaving only Sarada and I in the house._

 _It is two forty-six on the clock, and I am bored, so I want to make do of this precious time to write the strangest thing that happened this morning. I am thinking of getting a book, where i can write all this insanity down and i think i'll call it 'Reasons Why I Might Be Going Loco' , Ha ha!!_

 _So when i woke up this morning, I went straight to Sarada's room and guess what I saw. Sarada was awake, oh yes she was but she was sitting down in her crib and... laughing. She was facing her toy shelf, looking either at it or thin air, and laughing, sometimes a belly laugh and other times a chuckle. Whatever that must have been entertaining her stopped when I walked in, and Sarada started looking around and stretching her hands as if saying, 'come back, where did you go?' Then she reached out for the bars supporting her crib, trying to haul herself up but failing miserably, it was as if she did not move at all but she was trying to._

 _I was beyond shocked and terrified at that point. From my expertise in the medical field, a three-months old baby should be able to roll or slither on his stomach or should not even be left without something to support his back like a cot or pillow. What that baby could not do was sit up on his own, without the help of a grown-up, until he is around at least seven-months or even eight months max. This was/is because the baby does not have enough strength to balance on his hands and knees._

 _But I just saw my daughter sitted on the bed and trying to do the impossible._ _Surely Sasuke-kun wouldn't have just sat her down and said 'laugh my princess, laugh to your hearts content'. Pft, that's absurd._

 _I hear crying, Sarada must be awake._

 _Ok, if I had thought this morning was abnormal, then I don't even know what to say about what transpired this night. I'll call it 'the biggest absurdity of the century'._

 _So, it was eight thirty on the clock and Sarada was dozing off in my arms, so I took her to my room. After what i saw this morning in her room, I don't think she will be staying in that room for sometime. I put her on the bed (I made sure it was comfy for her) and I went to the bathroom to ease myself. Not up to ten minutes that I had put her there, she started crying._

 _So I gathered her in my arms and started to rock her but the tempo of her cry increased. She wasn't hungry and she did not need a change of diaper, so I didn't know what was wrong. I carried her to her room to go get her pacifier while I hummed her favorite lullaby. Immediately we entered her room, she calmed down and stopped crying completely._

 _I was dumbstruck. So, I got her pacifier and went to the door, intending to go to my room, when she started crying again. Eventually, I stayed in the room with her until she fell asleep. I thought of taking her to my room again but I changed my mind and instead looked around the room._

 _The room was okay but something about it wasn't. I wanted to pack out all the items in the room and maybe search them? throw them out? Burn them? I didn't know. But Sasuke-kun showed up afterwards and i left it like that._

 _I told Sasuke what happened and he was impassive about it probably because he was too tired. I left him alone and we called it a night. I couldn't sleep though. I thought of calling in a priest or shaman despite the fact that we were not that religious. We weren't atheists too but we were more like realists. But I thought of calling a spiritualist, I was that desperate._

 _I stayed up all night thinking about these things and I checked up on Sarada a few times too..._

 _XXXXXXXXX_

 _June 27th, 2013_

 _So Sasuke-kun is at work and Sarada is downstairs with me and am expecting Anko, a woman that they call 'The spirit mediator', to come over. I made an appointment with her by 2:00pm and it is quarter to two now._

 _Sarada's room is under lock and key for now till this whole mess is sorted out. I hear the chime of the doorbell, so I will continue later._

XXXXX...later on

 _Of all the whole days he had to come home early, he chooses today. Yeah, Anko had come in earlier. She has a deep purple hair, probably dyed she looked like an ex-convict, sorry to say. We made a few exchanges until I took her to Sarada's room._

 _I opened the door and told her to knock herself out. She entered with Sarada and I in tow. She looked around the room and told me that she didn't sense anything. Then I doubted her reputation of being 'the spirit mediator'. I got angry and was about to tell her to leave when her eyes widened. "I feel something, sense something but it's faint," she had said. "I need you and Sarada-chan out of the room now so that I can work." she had said. Then I left her to her devices and went downstairs._

 _I will have to admit, I was restless. After thirty minutes, the front door opened and Sasuke walked in. 'Oh my gosh! i am so done for', I thought and closed my eyes. Sarada started jumping in my arms when she saw her father. Sasuke walked up to us and greeted Sarada and just then, Anko came down and started blabbering about how she had made peace with the spirit, that Sarada was safe to go in and went on saying more gibberish about spirit, spirit, spirit..._

 _Sasuke got the memo and got angry. He paid Anko and ushered her out of the house, now leaving me to my fate._

 _Anyway, I don't want to go deep into it but after he had scolded me like a wayward child, we went with no one mentioning what had happened. Sarada's room seemed normal again; no scary aura and I was not paranoid. Completely normal._

 _XXXXXXXXXXX_

 _July 9th, 2013_

 _Oh! the nerve of that guy. I can't believe he called a psychiatrist for me...I really...really_ _don't feel like talking to him... I don't need a fucking doctor to tell me 'this is a safe place' like I'm a freaking psycho... can't he just see...just..just get that I need him to trust me, ...it hurts..._

 _XXXXXXXXXX_

 _April 23rd, 2016_

 _I haven't been in the mood to write lately and I haven't really been free either because of work, so I'll just write down the major events that took place over the years._

 _Sarada started school early this year, that's great. I started work after she turned one and so I have been super busy since then. I dropped her at either Ino or Hinata's place when I couldn't get home on time. I feel like I've missed out on some important things in my daughter's life._

 _Last week, Sarada had come to tell me to throw her toys away or keep them some other place because she was tired of them. I was shocked. She is just three years old and she wants her toys gone. Well, except for one doll that she called Swukee. Weird name. Hinata had told me about Sarada's obsession with that doll._

 _Anyway, we honored Sarada's wish and even changed her room completely, making the room opposite ours, her own. Well other than that, everything seems normal. Sasuke-kun had talked to me about quitting my job as a doctor and running the hospital instead, so I could make out time to spend with Sarada. I agreed._

 _Nothing more on my mind to write so I'll leave it at that._

 _xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

The two couples on the bed woke up. Sakura checked the time, 7:14am. She turned and looked at her husband who was waking up groggily. "Good morning." he said.

"Morning, when did you get back. I must have slept hard." She asked as she sat up.

"Around 3am. What says the time?" He sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Seventeen minutes past seven. You can go back to sleep, it is Saturday, your free day." Sasuke shook his head. "So should we wake her up now? I'm sure she's still asleep." Sakura asked, all drowsiness now gone from her eyes.

Now they were fully awake as they remembered what day it was. March 31st, 2018; Sarada's birthday. "She'll be so happy to see you. Why don't you surprise her?" Sakura, now standing, asked with glee. Sasuke smiled "Aa, she'll like that."

"Then let's go." she walked towards the door. Sasuke stood up but didn't follow her. "Wait, I need to use the bathroom", and he was off to the lavatory. When he had relieved himself, they headed to Sarada's room. Sasuke remained outside the door while Sakura walked in.

Their little angel was still asleep, so Sakura gently shook her. "Sarada, wake up honey." The girl cracked an eye open. "Mama?" Her eyes were fully open as she had remembered what the day was, afterall, she had been giddy about it the day before.

Sakura grinned and gave her a tight hug. "Happy birthday, Sweetie." She sang her daughter the traditional happy birthday song and planted kisses around her face. Sarada giggled "Thank you Mama. Is Papa back from work?" Her black eyes pleaded for an answer that starts and ends with 'yes'.

Sakura looked at the now five years old girl (who was still, technically, four years until the time clocks 10 this morning), with feigned sadness. Sarada saw the look on her mother's face and got the message. Sakura immediately looked like she missed out an important detail, "But hey, your Papa told me to tell you something-" She paused and saw that Sarada was already looking ecstatic, "What did he say? Tell me, tell me Mama!" Sakura couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her mouth, "He said that when you wake up this morning and you need him... just shout 'PAPA'. Why don't you try it?" Sakura said.

"Really, Mama, will it work?" Sarada asked hopefully. "Let's just try it and see what happens, how about that?" Sakura answered. "Ok..Papa!" She shouted, waiting patiently for the magic to happen and just ad she was about to give up and scold her mother, the door opened and Sasuke breezed in.

Sarada's eyes widened, "PAPA!!" And she was already in his arms.

A laugh broke out from Sasuke. "Happy birthday Princess." She just laughed in the loving embrace of her father's arms.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Sarada, come here. Grandma wants to speak with you." Said girl ran from her friends and went to collect the phone from her mother. "Hello grandma?" That was all Sakura heard before she turned back to the sitting room that was filled with little kids, Sarada's friends.

Earlier, they had taken Sarada on a treat while Naruto had organized the little gathering at home. Sarada was so elated when Sasuke presented the cake to her. That girl really loves her father and I sometimes envy him.

"...Uh huh. Thanks Grandma. Love you too...Yes she is here. Ok... bye Grandma." She giggled.

"Mama, here." She passed the phone to Sakura. "Grandma said that she will send my gift from Kumogakure."

Sakura nodded her head "Ok darling."

"Time to snap some photos with the celebrant. Sarada come here." Naruto howled in the living room. Sarada turned to face Sakura. "Mama, I want to wear the shoes Papa got me to snap the pictures." Sasuke got her a pair of silver shoes. They were cute and comfortable and Sarada really loved them.

"Ok dear, I'll go get them. Naruto hold on a sec, Sarada wants to change her shoes." With that said Sakura went upstairs straight to Sarada's room.

She spotted the shoes on the box that it was packaged in, near the closet. She picked it up and was about to go out to the hallway when she saw something that almost gave her a heart attack.

Nestled between the pillows on the bed was Suki. She had not even seen Sarada come out her room with that doll again but she still slept with it. She walked to the bed, neatly kept the shoes aside on the bed and she reached out for the doll. She held Little Miss Suki at an arms length to examine it. It had a plastic head and plushy body. It was indeed an eye-catching doll and the dress it had on was cute. "Why don't you leave Sarada alone for a bit, huh?" she said to the doll jokingly.

Something flashed or flickered in its eyes, it was barely noticeable but Sakura got a glimpse of it. The ocean blue eyes was normal and the black iris looked hollow, empty and void, the way eyes of any inanimate object ought to look, but there was something else. Those eyes, they looked deep as if you can drown in them, like multiple layers of holes were in there.

"Sakura! How long does it take you to get a pair of little shoes?" Ino's voice rung from downstairs. That was a wake up call to her because she just realised how close Suki had been brought to her face. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs and a loud call from her best friend, "Forehead, where are you?" Sakura blinked a few times and she suddenly remembered that she was supposed to get something. "Sarada's shoes--" she gasped "It's picture time." She dropped Suki, rather unceremoniously, on the bed and grabbed the shoes.

"Sakura, what took you so long. Everyone's waiting." Ino said when she saw Sakura with the shoes in her hands. "Sorry, let's just go." Ino nodded ebulliently. "Good, I can't wait to get a picture of Inojin and Sarada, hurry up, would you?" Sakura spared one last glance at the doll that laid on the bed. ' _I will surely throw you out after all this.'_ Then she went downstairs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Alone, it was lonely; in a world devoid of its home. Sealed inside this vessel for centuries that has come and gone and the ones that are yet to come. It had been drained of its gifts, its essence and had been casted aside and sealed by figures that had long since, withered. And it found itself in this place; a mockery it had been to it. Pining away in this piece of plastic, waiting for the right human to appear and for the right moment to strike._

 _Its eyes were bloodshot red; a contrast to the beautiful orbs it had, the ones it came into existence with. Its body had dried up and began to deteriorate or rot whenever it stepped out of its vessel. The vessel was made specially for it because it had a crux that could sustain its putrid form._

 _A few humans had picked it up, and had been stupid to get it in their homes; none of them being the wiser and eventually, it got what it wanted, not that 'it' had asked for it. They were not what it wanted, they were far from it._

 _Then a miracle happened; the fates must be in its favour this time around. Perhaps, it was just pure luck and coincidence but it had found what 'it' had craved for so long, that energy. 'It' sensed it at its ripening time._

 _The days of being picked was over now it was time for the hunted to be the hunter. 'It' went to the new field, a penthouse by the looks of it, to lie in wait. It had waited centuries for this day and now it was willing to wait another one, for freedom was at hand. The day came at last, it had seen **HER**. It could feel **HER** and it loved the feeling. It decided to wait for some time because **SHE** was still weak and had not bloomed._

 _Now here it was, filled with the food it so craved for. It was enough to come out and make an appearance longer than it had been able to, maybe it can last for two hours max._

 _But it was at a disadvantage when it was in this container. It could not go farther than thirty feets away from its vessel. It was still feeding, this thing took/takes a long period of time. The energy was abundant in this mansion but It couldn't eat all even if it wanted to. It was a gradual and delicate procedure._

 _Today is Sara's birthday and it had promised her that it would show her 'its real face' and it had been looking forward to it until She walked in. It saw something, sensed something in her that it didn't like. It was livid this time. It had to do something because she could ruin everything, not when it was nearing the final stage. It was almost time but what it sensed might make the plan last longer than necessary or will even ruin everything._

 _" **It's high time I introduced myself to that woman."** it said with a sadistic smile on its face._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 _April 13th, 2018_

 _It's late at night. Sarada is at Chouji's place for a sleepover with her friend, Chōchō and I just got off the phone with Sasuke. He said he is on his way and I can only wait in anticipation for what might happen this night when he arrives._

 _Everywhere is chilly and the curtains were allowing waves of intruding breeze into the house. It looks like it wants to rain then thunder rumbled confirming my thoughts. I am in the sitting room trying to watch a program but failing miserably, so I think i will write something down._

She paused putting the pen to her mouth and thinking of what to write. The noise from the television was not helping her think, so she put it on mute The rain had started pouring leaving heavy plittter-platter sounds in its wake. Then thought hard and then remembered something and began to scribble.

Haa _! Just saw a picture of Sarada that was taken on her birthday last two weeks. We had it framed and hung it in the sitting room for display. Its a cute picture that showed a grinning Sarada with Sasuke and I by both her sides. Sarada had been super excited that day. The other pictures that were taken are in her album._

"Shoot!" she exclaimed and dropped her pen. "I completely forgot to lock the windows." She skittered round the house and locking all opening that might give rain permission to come in. She cleaned the places that were already wet and fortunately, they weren't much. After she was done, she went back to the sitting room and took her pen to continue what she was writing.

 _Completely forgot to lock the windows. I think I've lost my tenacity because recently, I tend to be forgetful. But enough of that. Anyway, where was I? Yh Sarada's birthday. It pretty much ended after we took pictures. Sarada went to bed early and Sasuke tucked her in bed while I cleaned up. Later on, we both went to bed too._

 _Sarada's birthday was a blessing, why? because it made throwing Suki away easier. I had not remembered that doll ever since the party until I noticed the fact that Sarada had stopped carrying it about like before. So, while she was in school last week Tuesday, I went into her room to look for the doll and found it lying down under the dressing table, looking rejected and forgotten, then I took it outside straight into the dumpster. I must say, I felt happy and relieved after I did that. Sarada did not even ask for it. Good!_

 _But you know what they say, there are two sides of a coin. Sarada had made another Suki friend to replace the old one. She had dumped Suki the doll for Suki the imaginary friend. I have a headache. But other than that, the atmosphere was ok and is still ok. A passing thought had crossed my mind that whatever that was following or haunting us or Sarada before was back, maybe for retribution for calling Anko in. Yh right. I can't start having those thoughts aga-_

Thunder rumbled and she stopped writing. "I hope this rain doesn't disturb Sasuke-kun." she said to herself. "Oh well!!" she took her pen with every intention of continuing her life story when something weird started happening. The television screen just turned a bright red colour, it wasn't a program or something caused by signal interruption. It was just red. She took the remote and tried changing the channel but there was no response. It wasn't a channel at all. Sakura's stomach started churning for no good reason. She tried turning the creepy device off but it was not working. She got up to go unplug it from the socket when everything went black. The house was literally dark, ebony was the right word. She moved back till she hit the couch that she got up from and she started roaming her hands on the chair looking for phone using nothing but instinct to look for it. Suddenly, the television came on again alomg with the redcolour on display.

Sakura got hold of her phone and put the flashlight on. Blackouts cannot just happen like that. The light came back on but flickered off immediately. Sakura's heart was on the brink of getting a heart attack when she felt a cold presence behind her. She turned back instantly to face the door to the house where she felt the cold aura, her body now struck with trepidation. Lightning flashed with the sound of thunder following suit and she saw it, or the silhouette of it. A glass shattering scream erupted from her throat and she ran upstairs since the way out of the house was blocked by it. She had seen it, she couldn't make out the figure but she was sure she saw horns and something like wings, that protruded down, behind it.

She was crying now and she was already heading for her room only to find out that it was locked along with the other rooms up there. All this while she thought it was a ghost but she just got a glimpse of a DEMON. "Oh mmm God, am gonna die, mm gonna die." she muttered incoherently as she was crying.

She tried the door again, this time pushing her body against it but it didn't budge. She ran her fingers through her hair and started wailing. She went to the top of the stairs to find downstairs completely dark, so she went to the hallway again. Her phone was still in her hand, so she dialed a serie of number and pressed that call button.The number rung and the call was picked on the third ring.

"Sas-Sasuke please huu-uurrrry ho-ome. It...it...it wants t-to kill meee. Sasuke-kun i-i--i n-need you. please come ho--" but she was cut off by a chuckle and a sleek voice that almost sounded demonic..." ** _Oh Sakura_**."

Sakura's scream echoed in the whole house. Her boood ran cold again. This was surreal. So not happening. She had to be dreaming.Shes at the end of the hallway, with her back to the last door. She slid down and cried looking around and quivering endlessly.

 _'I'm gonna die. This is it. This is the last straw. I'll die alone and nobody will know the cause.'_ She took this time to reminisce about good old friends and her family. _'Sarada, Oh God I can't leave my baby.'_ Fresh tears ran down her face at that thought. "My babyhee hee." she said while crying.

 ** _'Sakura, Saakuraaa, come out my precious.'_** That voice rang in her ears like a mantra.

"LEAVE ME ALONE! GET OUT, GET OUT OF MY MIND, GET OUTTA MY HOUSE!" She shouted despite knowing the predicament that she was in and that she could be silenced forever by that thing for her insolence. But she heard something that weaved a thread of hope within her; she heard the front door open. It opened and was closed with a soft click. Relief and happiness flooded through her and it was written all over her countenance. 'Sasuke-kun is home, he is back.' She stood up, happy, but it wasn't the end. The light in the hallway that was on, started flickering and with the endless flickering, the demon appeared on the other side of the room giving Sakura the opportunity to get a good view of the demon/ ghost/ghost of a demon, she didn't know. She screamed once again, and then the world started spinning and tilting before turning black.

The last thing her brain registered was the bright room and a distant voice calling her name, then she fell into the abyss of darkness.

 **Author's Note:**

Oh my goodness! What happened there?...who knows? What happened to Sakura?...who knows. Will she be okay? nobody knows. What was that creature and how did it look like? who knows...Oh wait, Sakura does. Why don't we stick to finding out in the next chapter, Sakura will probably shed more light on the matter by then so stay tuned.

But, what are your thoughts so far? Interesting? Boring? Epic fail? Let me know. Pass the story round. Reviews encourages me, so tell me how you feel about the story so I'll know whether or not to go on. Oh! PM is also allowed.

Toodles


	5. Chapter 4

_Here comes chapter four. I really want to thank you all for your reviews. My gift to the fans of Sasusaku is this song, My Salvation by Gabrielle Aplin. I feel like that song tells a Sasusaku story in relation to Quietus, or maybe I am just overrating it. Anyway, enjoy_.

 **CHAPTER 4**

"Papa, Chōchō was so funny. Last night, we watched Boss baby, Chocho's favorite movie. So we watched the movie and she said that if she were the baby, she would ban Uncle Chouji from eating her consommé flavoured chips. She even said that Uncle Chouji was too fat that he broke their toilet seat twice." she laughed on the stool while leaning on the kitchen table as she gave her father a report about last night's sleepover.

Chouji had dropped both she and Chocho at the Uchiha mansion around eight in the morning before he went to work. Apparently, Karui had an engagement somewhere that she needed to attend. The two girls were sitted on their stools and resting on the kitchen table that was situated in the center of the kitchen. Sarada was blabbing about the Chocho's behavior at the sleepover, Chocho was munching on potato chips, not really bothered about the telltale tit seated beside her and Sasuke was listening to his daughter's tattling, dropping 'hns' and 'Aas' whenever he was asked a question, until he eventually tuned out their voices from his mind. He did this while busying himself with making a late breakfast.

"Well it is true. Daddy is just too fat" Chocho said still chomping on her bag of chips.

"And because of what you said, Aunt Karui seized all your snacks and your favorite red and black pop socks."

"But Daddy still bought me this snack, didn't he? And I can still get my pop socks back." she moved closer to her friend to be out of Sasuke's earshot. "I know where Mom hides my things when she seizes them. In her closet." she said in a whisper. "Really!?" Sarada asked incredulously. "Yeah. My mum does not really know how to hide things. I knew the password to her phone whenever she changed it, though i don't know the current one." her tone tuning low towards the end.

"Wow, my mum does not lock her phone but I don't always know where Mama hides _my_ things. I don't even have toys for her to hide except Suki." then she squinted her eyes in a thinking manner, "Hmmm, I have not even seen my Suki doll since I became friends with the real one."

"That's a lie. Your mom should have punished you once." Chocho said, tone tinted with disbelief.

Sasuke all the while, was not listening to their exchange. All he was thinking about now, was making this bread, egg and bacon, and taking it to Sakura who was still asleep. "Hey Papa, has Mama not woken up yet?" He turned to face the person that asked the question.

"Go check if she is awake. Her breakfast is ready, so I'll take it to her when you get back." He told her and started dishing out the food.

He had gotten home the previous night only to hear her scream from upstairs and then he ran upstairs only to see that she was lying faced down on the floor. He turned her around and saw that her face was swollen and caked with tears, but was still breathing. He tried waking her up to no avail. He shook her and she did not so much as crack an eye open. He had panicked, done a quick surveillance in the house and threw the nagging thoughts that told him to do a double check, out of the the window.

He gathered her in his arms, went downstairs to the door and was about to take her to the car despite the downpour that was outside the comfort of their mansion, when she started mumbling some incoherent words like, "eav mm...gtout...mbeb" before she ultimately opened her eyes albeit a little. He gently put her down on the couch and tried to rouse her up again. This time she responded and could only look at him through glassy dazed eyes, he called her name and "Hmmm wanna sleep' was all he could get from her. He was sure that she would not remember this when she wakes up the next morning; she was surely sleep-talking.

He did not take her to the hospital again but still called up Shizune to put his mind at ease. She could not come over due to the heavy rainfall, so he was told to do some basic first aid treatment. Sakura shifted her body from time to time but did not seem to be in any pain or discomfort whatsoever. She was breathing okay and sleeping soundly like a baby. She was always a deep sleeper.

Sasuke had stayed up all night. He was pretty shaken up the night before because he thought he had lost her. He couldn't help but feel he had done a wrong thing by not taking her to the hospital to let the doctors have the final say. Then he thought of another alternative. He took his phone and called Ino over.

Ino had volunteered one or two times along with Sakura to work in the hospital while they were still in college. Maybe it was the competitive friendship she had with Sakura that made her agree to work in the hospital then or she just had a sense of duty. Well, she had studied business administration in college and did a one year internship in the medical field. Her reason for this? who knows. It was said that she would have made a good nurse had she not taken up her mother's business.

She was the only option at the time and she lived around the corner so she could come check Sakura up despite the rain. Hell! she could even come if there was an earthquake or tornado if her best friend was involved. She came quarter past one in the early hours of Saturday morning.Talk about being a faithful friend!

She checked Sakura up and came to the same conclusion that Shizune had made, 'She just fainted due to stress and overexertion' and he left it at that. It still did not explain why she screamed or why she had cried her eyes out but he chose to wait till she woke up to get the answers to those questions that played on his mind; only she knew what was wrong with her and he would have to wait to hear her explanation. Ino stayed till three and had to go back because of work and Inojin. She left mostly because she was sure that her friend was okay and he was more than grateful for what she had done, although all he offered was a one worded 'thanks.'

He had finished dishing the food and Sarada was not back yet so he decided to take it to Sakura with or without Sarada's feedback. Chocho took to following him as he went up the stairs and Sasuke and no wordsof arguments or complaint came from his mouth. He was in front of his and Sakura's bedroom and his hand was in motion to open the door when it was being opened, rather slowly, from the inside.

"Papa, Mama is still sleeping." whispered Sarada. "Say, Sarada, you took some time in there. What were you doing?" Chocho asked with a neutral look still plastered on her face. Sasuke deftly passed Sarada to enter the room leaving the two girls to their talk. It's high time Sakura woke up, it's fifteen minutes to ten and he was not going to take any chances that something might be wrong with her that he was overlooking.

"Suki came in, she wanted to check on Mama too. Why don't we go downstairs to play, just the three of us?" Sarada asked excitedly as she ran downstairs.

Chocho had gotten used to Sarada talking endlessly about Suki but she paid no heed to it. Mostly because her mother, Karui, had warned her to never speak of Suki, Sarada's imaginary friend, abashedly because it would hurt her friend's feelings and get her in trouble with her mother. "Hey, wait up Sarada!" and she was gone leaving the hallway empty and giving Sasuke the privacy that he needed with his wife. He gently set the tray filled with Sakura's breakfast, on the stool near his bedside and moved to sit down near his sleeping wife. She was lying on her belly with her left cheek buried in her soft fluffy pillow, and the duvet was on her body from her stomach region. She looked at peace in her state of limbo with her pink locks scattered all over her the pillow with little of it covering her face.

"Sak, wake up baby" he shook her lightly. A groan and change in position was all he got from her. "Sakura, wake up. It's ten o'clock already, get up." At that, she simply turned to loe on her back, got up sluggishly and looked at him with sleepy emerald eyes. She was now sitting on the bed with her back resting on the headboard, looking at thin hair with dazed eyes. She looked lifeless in that state or maybe subconscious.

"Sakura? Are you okay?" he asked her tentatively and put a hand on her lap. She jumped a little and woke up from her frozen state at the sound of his voice. She looked at him and rubbed her eyes. Her head turned to look at the digital device that sat on a stool near her side of the bed, 9:18am, it read. All her husband did at the moment was watch her carefully as if examining and observing a biological specie.

Sakura regained her equilibrium and removed the duvet that was covering her body, dropped her legs on the tiled floor and stood up. A feat that she regretted doing almost immediately because she had tilted precariously if not for the strong hands that balanced her on time. "Woah, be careful. Where are going to?" Sasuke asked, with worry written all over his tone of voice and physique. "I want to go to the bathroom." she answered. "You can let go now." she said, now feeling stable and sure that she could walk. The walk to the bathroom felt like it took all of her strength to take a single step. Sasuke took her food sat on the bed to wait for her.

When Sakura had done her business, she went to wash her hands and looked at the mirror while doing so. She looked like she had been run over by a bus, thanks to her bed head and swollen face. _'What happened?'_ she thought but kept on drawing a blank. So she splashed water on her face, washing away the last wave of vertigo from her system, turned off the tap and headed to the door with the intention of leaving the bathroom when she felt a bile rise up her throat. She quickly rushed to the toilet, hugged the seat and emptied her stomach through her mouth. Someone had come to hold her hair and rub her back, Sasuke, she presumed. "Take it easy. Hold on okay." then he disappeared to the room only to come back with a glass of water. "Here, drink it." She took the glass cup, emptied it if its content and handed it back to her husband. "Thanks." she said straightening up.

"Are you okay now?" she nodded. "Okay then." he rinsed her face and helped her to her feet. When they entered their bedroom, he made her sit on the bed while he knelt in front of her. "Get dressed and I'll take you to the hospital." he said demurely but she shook her head. "I'm okay, i just got a little irritated, that's all." she said quietly.

"Must be something you ate last night. What did you eat?"he asked as he studied her quietly. She squinted her eyes as if in thought, "I didn't eat anything because I was waiting for you so we could eat together." then she lifted her right hand to her temples and rubbed at it. "What happened?" she asked and Sasuke snorted in disbelief. "I'm the one that's supposed to ask you that Sakura. What happened to you last night?" but she looked like she was not listening. Her attention was not on him but on the tray of food that sat beside her. "It's for you. I made it." he told her thinking that her reason for staring at it was because she was hungry but that was not it.

 _'What happened to me last night?'_ she asked herself in her mind and then it hit her, all the events that happened the night prior flooded back in her memory. _'Why didn't I remember it since. Was it a dream. It had to be a dream.'_ Meanwhile, Sasuke had noticed her change in demeanor. She had gone from staring at the food to looking at it like it held all the secrets of the world and the solutions to world problems. "Sa-kura, what's wrong? What happened last night?" he asked feeling frustrated. This whole situation was getting annoying, was eating him inside and he was dying to get some answers but all the woman had been doing was ignore him.

"I came in, heard you scream and met you passed out on the floor in the hallway. What happened?" he ran his fingers through his raven locks out of frustration. 'What happened?'; the only question that he had yet to get an answer to. The only question that has been playing in his mind like a mantra since yesternight.

Sakura looked shocked at what she heard. That was the confirmation to the thoughts that she had just borne. "It wasn't a dream. I-I really saw it." she said quickly in a hushed tone, her gaze still on the tray of food near her and it seemed as though, speaking those word rendered her breathless.

"What dream, saw wha-"

"I saw it Sasuke. It's real. All these time it was real." she said now raising her head to look at him in the face. Sasuke, feeling like he was going to have a migraine just shook his head and massaged his temples. "What did you see? What is real? Sakura you are not making sense." He was standing at this point while she remained sitted on her position. "I was in the parlor downstairs writing when all of a sudden, the television screen turned blood red and the lights flickered on and off..." she trailed off as if she was trying to remember something. She sounded like she was telling herself and not the man standing in front of her. "...the lights flickered on and off and blackout and then it appeared at the front door." her eyes widened at the end of the sentence.

"Sakura-" Sasuke attempted to talk but was once again cut short by the pink haired woman. "Remember when I told you about the strange feelings I get mostly when I'm in Sarada's room?" she asked while standing up and holding his arm with hands that were now cold. "Sakura, what does that have to do with anything?"

"I told you that something was wrong and that I used to sense a strange presence-" this time he took out of her page to cut her words short. "Yes, the spirit that you sensed that made you call that purple haired woman." his voice took a derisive tone but Sakura did not seem affected by it, "Yes, I used to think that it was a spirit but its not." Sasuke raised an eyebrow mockingly. "It's a demon" she said with pleading eyes. "A demon?" Sasuke asked with incredulity and mock interest.

"No, no, more like a demoness."

"Oh! it's a demoness now." his tone, amusing. "It looked like a demoness or the ghost of a demoness but I saw it Sasuke. It was flickering the lights and calling my name. You've got to believe me." She sounded like she was begging him.

Sasuke, not finding the situation amusing again held his hand up. "Enough Sakura. Stop this. I am fed up with your, your-" his tone had risen a little from aggravation.

"Craziness? Demented talks? I am a lot of things Uchiha, but crazy is not one of them." she replied with the same intensity, sounding hurt. Sasuke removed his hand from her grip and moved back a few steps "But does your story sound believable or remotely sane? Come on Sakura this has gone on long enough and it is getting annoying." He was really angry. How long will this crazy talks persist? He had wished for the day his wife would get the sense of disillusionment. "It's the truth, i know what i saw. I have always had this feeling about the mansion." her eyes were already welling up with tears. _'Now she blames the mansion.'_ he got an awful sense of déjà vu at what she said.

"Oh and don't forget that you had the same 'feeling' in the penthouse." he countered laying emphasis on the word 'feeling'. "Maybe it followed us. Maybe she wants Sarada." she explained not completely sure herself. Sasuke now looked at her as if disgusted and insulted. "That's absurd. I have put up with this craziness long enough." his words sliced through her like a sword. "Tell me Sakura, why is it only you that sees and sense it, huh? Why did Sarada not sense it since it was a demon and in her room? Why didn't I sense it right from the penthouse like you claim to have done? Answer me Sakura!"

Tears were already rolling down her face but she still stood her ground. "Because I am her mother." she answered through gritted teeth. But here demeanor dropped at the next words her husband threw at her. "But you weren't _a_ mother then."

Her face scrunched up and she pit her hands to her mouth to hold herself as more tears began to roll down her eyes. Sasuke felt a pang of guilt when he saw her face. "Sakura I am sorry. I didn't-" but he broke off when he saw or rather felt someone at the doorway. They had been so engrossed in their argument that he had forgotten that the door was still opened when he left Sarada and Chocho to talk. It is not like they themselves knew when the argument had heated up. "Mama? Papa? What's going on?" came the innocent voice of their daughter. Sakura had turned her back so Sarada would not see her cry, and in doing so, she wiped the betraying liquid away from her face.

"It's nothing baby. Your Mama and I were talking. Just go to your room with Chocho, okay?" Sasuke said softly. "Okay Papa." Sarada said while shooting nervous glances at her mother whose back was facing her. "No, don't go to your room!" She was about to close the door, when she heard her mother utter those words. "And why the hell not?" Sasuke asked sharply but quietly so Sarada would not hear. "Sarada go downstairs." she said completely ignoring Sasuke. "Okay Mama." and the door was closed.

"She is not staying in that room talk less of sleeping there, not when that she-devil is there."

"Can you hear yourself? There is nothing in that room. Everything you saw last night up till now was a figment of your imagination." he said not really in the mood to fight again although his words does not show it. Sakura also looked the same way, tired and defeated and not in the mood to fight. She looked solemn, "You won't believe me, fine. All I know is that Sarada is not and will not stay in that room alone again and that's final."

"No, I am the one that has the final say in this house and what is final, is that Sarada will remain in that room and she will sleep there like she has been doing for the past two years." There was a sense of authority in the tone that he used and he waited for her comeback, wanted to see what she would say and was indeed shocked at the next words that came from her mouth. "Fine then. You are the man of the house and i can see that you liked the way all that rolled out from your mouth. If Sarada is not changing her room then I will. I will not let my daughter be in the same room as that monster so I'll stay with her till all this madness ends." she said as she moved to take her pillow and head to the door. Sasuke gave a short laugh and sneered, "You can't be serious." though he knew she was as serious as the day she made her marriage vows.

"Watch me." was all she said. Before she stepped out of the door, she turned, her cold stare unblinking, "I don't think I'll be eating that. I just lost my appetite." and she was out leaving a shocked and angry Sasuke in the room.

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 _April 14th, 2018._

 _I saw it. I know what I saw was real and not a mere figment of her imagination. I saw the demon or demoness but it wasn't the type of demon that you see on TV. Demons are always as dark ugly creatures with an indefinite figure in most cases. They are shown to have black tattered wings, sharps and long canines, horns and a long tail which altogether forms a dark physique. But...but this demon lacked in the area of darkness. It was bright and had the posture which rivalled that of a royal unlike the demons on TV that seemed to have hunchbacks and sprawled forms._

 _This demoness; am sure that it was a female because it had a feminine stature and look_ , _it/she had two horns that protruded from her head and through a thick wave of flawless white hair. The hair was parted in a zig-zag pattern in the middle of her head and it was so long that I had mistaken it for its/her wings when I had seen its silhouette downstairs. It, ok am gonna start calling it a she now, had a pale white skin and was dressed in a long white gown. It definitely was a she._

 _I think she had white pearly eyes, i dont know cos i was shocked when i saw her but I don't forget a face. I think I'll just stick to calling her an 'it' because it sounds weird calling it a she. Now i am just saying rubbish, Oh! what a good waste of ink. Anyway, let me just say that its eyes where bright white or lilac, whatever it was, it was a huge contrast to the red, purple or yellow eyes that demons in books and movies seemed to possess._

 _Here comes the not-so-good-and-beautiful features that it had. There was another eye in the middle of her forehead that was red in colour and it was half-opened. I shouldn't think that i sound crazy at this point, should I? I think there was another pair of eyes that were closed and just above her pearly orbs, I don't know. She/it (can't make up my mind) had long fingernails and red lips. I did not see any tail, maybe there was one, maybe there wasn't._

All in all, the thing that scared me the most was that I thought that it/she was frighteningly and horrifyingly-- beautiful. It was bright like a ghost and magnificent. I don't think I formed all that on my own and fainted at the thought of it.

After _my argument with Sasuke this morning, I went to Sarada's_ _room to cry. I_ _did not have my bath, neither did i eat again. I cleaned my fad and looked around the room and it was okay. I wanted to write down everything I saw while it was still fresh in my memory, so I went downstairs to search the parlor. When I was there, Sasuke came out from the kitchen. Maybe he went to keep the food in the fridge but I later saw Chocho descending on it._

 _We looked at each other for a few seconds, my hard gaze clashed with his tired and pleading one but I couldn't keep that look again because I suddenly felt hurt. He called me crazy and pulled the 'I am the man of the house,so you must obey me' card on me, all in the same morning. He just couldn't believe me and it hurts but a part of me doesn't blame him. What I said sounded unbelievable. Heck! I wouldn't believe me if i were my alter ego because all that I said went beyond the laws of science (and i am a woman of science for heavens sake) and the walls of reality. But I still felt- still feel hurt and...and alone. I left him and continued my search for the stupid journal. I remember that i did not take it from the couch the night before so maybe Sasuke, Sarada or Chocho must have kept it somewhere. But it was splayed out on the couch for all to see, so there was the slightest possibility that Sasuke must have seen it but knowing him, i don't think he read it. He has never done that, maybe he doesn't like prying and snooping into people's business like Naruto._

 _At long last, I found the book in my study room on the table along with my other medical files. Sasuke kept it then. So I got the book, sat that in the study and typed away._

 _Today was a drag. It six o'clock and Karui just came to pick Chocho. She was in a hurry and I didn't mind because I was not in the mood for some chit-chat. Sasuke and I haven't really talked since our fight this morning except for the time he gave me his phone to talk to Ino who had called to ask how I was feeling. We talked for a few minutes before she was called back to work. Another awkward moment that took place between Sasuke and I was when I went to take another clothes to change into. He watched me like a hawk but didn't say anything although I know he wanted to say something but I did not give him the time to say anything as I dashed out of the room. I showered in Sarada's room and I dressed the bed. So I will just go to prepare dinner and also prepare for another round of awkwardness. I really love Sasuke but whenever he says hurtful words to me, i just- i just get broken. Yh just like how i feel now._

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 _Mortals were the bane of her existence. They were weak, susceptible to change and were/are notoriously moved by sentimentality; the same sentimentality that always seemed to deliver their ends as proved by former mortals that had been drawn to her vessel like a moth to a flame. If only they knew the many mysteries of this world, the mysteries that had brought the world into existence. But humans being the same ignorami that they were and still are, still choose to ignore it and if they had an inkling of it, they didn't get their facts right, hence making false and petty principles that they felt went beyond the knowledge and hands of time. They were all the same despite the contrast in appearance and character. Heretofore, they never wanted to believe the abstract or step out of their comfort zone, with regards to a few._

 _She would have done with them ages ago but had been grimly put in place. Now times have passed, generations had come and gone and her language, forgotten. She had to adapt to new cultures and languages too. Oh! How she wished things could go back to the way it was, with she being the ruler and humans, being the ruled, regardless of the change in time and space._

 _She once had that kind of authority over these creatures eons ago. She had possessed the power that so little of the humans had until it was sealed away from her and shared among mortals in different proportions. Sages, ecclesiastics, prophets, spiritalists and the like all came to be through her and because of her; of the gift that had made her being; Spiritual energy, or in simpler terms, chakra. The energy that made mortals do what they felt was most implausible, and it was thanks to what she had been forced to give._

 _Little of these humans were able to utilize the gifts bestowed on them to their predilection, which overall gave birth to sorcerers, necromancers, witch doctors, shamans and many more of them. Only a few had a little mix of bloodline chakra in their mortal coil. Such chakra has long since passed and was ancient and rare in its disposition. That is, until she discovered the Uchiha family.Their essence, colossal in every space they occupied and burning in their very mortal shell._

 _What a small world it had been to finally cross paths with freedom. The cherry on top it all was another family that was acquainted with the Uchihas, the Uzumakis. It most certainly was a buffet with an all you can eat menu, only that it took time to ingest the vast amount of food that flew in and out of the house._

 _She had waited for Sarada to be born so the chakra would be at its peak and without any form of obstruction. After the short wait, she then knew and was convinced that she had picked the right prey. It was perfect. Everything was balanced and coming together._

 _She found the female Uchiha most fascinating. How can there be so much chakra in just one feeble mortal?She would have to play with her for the time being, although, it has been fun so far. She will toy with her and string her along until she has gathered enough energy to strike and take what she wants._

 _But something was doomed to either stop or stall her plans and she was already impatient enough. It was not the Uchiha patriarch, no! he was far from it. Male mortals, a good-for-nothing set of creatures. Stupidity and obliviousness had always been the root of their existence. Men; another bane of her life and the prime example of those ignorant mortals that she so loathes wholeheartedly._

 _The primary factor that stood in her way was growing and she did not like it. She would have rid of it very easily but she would have to do it conscientiously. **"I need** **to make a proper introduction to Uchiha Sakura. We have an unfinished business."** She said in the enclosure of darkness._

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Dinner was over, luckily Sarada made it easier by blabbing about what her parents may or may not have been listening to. Sasuke decided to entertain himself in the sitting room by watching a movie, news and football, while Sakura ushered Sarada to sleep. She had wanted to join her father but was too exhausted so she followed her mother to her room. Sarada jumped on her bed immediately they got to room and expected her mom to tuck her in but was surprised to see her mother climb in with her. "Mama, are you sleeping with me tonight?" she gave a wide yawn.

"Yes Sarada, I am. Or don't you like it?" she questioned and then her daughter moved closer to her to cuddle her. "Yes Mama, I want you to stay." Sakura was glad to hear that and hugged her tightly. "But won't Papa be lonely?" she looked down to face her daughter. Her daughter was smart, she couldn't have said 'Mama, what happened to you and Papa?' any clearer. Sakura closed her eyes trying to invite sleep. "No, he won't be lonely. He is going to be busy and I don't want to disturb him. I seem to to that to him a whole lot." she said, whispering the last part.

"Okay. Suki does not mind you staying at all too. She really likes you" Sarada said as she nestled her head on her mother's chest. Sakura only mumbled a 'mm hmm' and everywhere was quiet. Then something occurred to Sakura. "Sarada?" she prayed the little girl had not slept because she wanted to know something right then and was relieved to find out that she hadn't. "Yes mama" she slurred, how voice sounded sleepy.

"How does Suki look like. Describe her." And Sarada perked her head up, suddenly feeling awake.

"Well, Suki is very fine and I am a little bit taller than her. She has a long white hair and white eyes too." she said and laid her head back on her mother's chest. Meanwhile, Sakura's heart was beating sporadically. She swallowed her own spit and opened her mouth to speak again, "Is that all?" her voice came out as a whisper. "Hmm she uses red lipstick but she said I shouldn't tell because you don't allow me to use them. And her hair has a weird part in the middle." Sarada giggled lightly, "I used to make fun of her hair."

Sakura was scared to the strands of her hair and asked the one last question that was on her mind. "Is Suki here now?" she did not get any answer. When she had thought Sarada had succumbed to the chambers of sleep, she got the answer that she so dreaded, that made her want Sasuke by her side. "Yes mama, she is here."

All this while, Sarada had been staying and talking to- her eyes widened. _'Oh my God! Suki is the demon.'_ she held Sarada close to her chest and prayed silently for the night to end, because it took every bit of her will power to not carry Sarada and get out of the room.

Author's Note:

So what do you guys think? The next chapter is on its was just hang on okay? I am sure a lot of us already knew about Suki but this was Sakura's own discovery so it was not meant to come out as a shocker.


	6. Chapter 5

_Sorry for the late update. I have been super busy with school. Congratulations to me, I got admitted, Yippee! However, I still have some school runs to take care of, so you have to bear with me. I could only smuggle a little time from my hectic schedule to write this chapter and I hope the length of this one makes up for the delay. I also hope you still have a burning interest for this story._

 _Thanks a dozen for your awesome reviews. Three 7s, thank you for sparing your time to give me that review. I must say, I blushed seriously when I read it. I also want to apologise for subjecting you guys to my grammatical blunders. I have a habit of not cross-checking what I write or rereading stories that I've read because I find it tedious and mind-numbing since I already know the story. I also don't know a beta-reader, that is active and responsive. So, if you have one, please can you recommend them to me, I'll be grateful. Anyway, I will modify the already published chapters when time permits because honestly, I felt like crying when I saw some of the blunders._

 _Lastly, I want to talk about the Suki thing. Yes, we know that Suki is Kaguya and this is just the beginning of the story. I know there was no suspense or climax and the uncovering of Suki seemed rushed but we'll have to wait to see how the story progresses. Thank you all for your patience and once again, I'm sorry for the grammatical errors but we all know that nobody is perfect. I am just saying that there are some certain habits that I need to curtail, for example, crosschecking my stories before publishing. Anyway, with no further ado, I present chapter five._

 ** _CHAPTER 5_**

From the novels that she had read in her lifetime, ranging from romantic to horror and suspense, she never dreamt of the day that she would be in such a situation as the one that she was currently living in. In retrospect, she would still love to summon back the bookworm side of her in order to find a solution to this her ordeal. How had things taken a turn for the worse? This was not a dream, it was a reality; her reality. She was living in her own fantasy, her own horror story, and to think her daughter had been written in the same story for some time unknown to her.

In all the novels that she had read, that involved the supernatural, there were three solutions that were commonly used which seemed both probable and implausible.

The first solution was praying to God and that helped put the paranormal at bay in majority of those novels. One or two people were shown to have a wild connection with their God and prayers were the only medium and weapon used to tie down their enemy.

The other and most practicable solution, was visiting magicians and witches. The characters in the stories would be given charms and talismans, to repel the supernatural being(s). In most cases, the protagonists would be told how to kill the freaks of nature by conjuring other spirits to fight in their stead. It will be just like killing poison with a stronger poison; by introducing a stronger opponent to fight a weaker one.

The last solution is also the common one. If the demon or spirit was brought into existence by mere insane humans, the best bet was to kill the sorcerer or conjurer. But how many of these theories are true? How many of them can help her situation? How many can even be considered possible in the real world? They were all fictions, written works of potentially sadistic people, probably idealists, who found the paranormal and supernatural as a real visionary that they slapped on sheets of papers. All these stories had happy, and sometimes tragicomic, endings. However, there was one thing that they had in common and that was the fact that more than one or two people were together in the battle against the demons. She was at a disadvantage in that part. She was alone in this her story; her husband did not believe her and her daughter was oblivious to the predicament that she was in. She was the only one that could sense the danger that lived in her house.

Left alone with no alternative to choose from, the last option flashed in her mind for a millisecond but was discarded just as soon as it had entered her mind. There was surely a zero percent chance that someone might have summoned that demoness. She would have failed woefully if she picked option one. She knew that prayers could save her just like it did during her four-hour labour and the previous night but she wanted to be practical. Therefore, that option had been reserved for plan B. So all that she was left with was option and solution number two. She had made up her mind the previous night about how to spend her Sunday afternoon. Last night had been a drag. She had constantly prayed to God for protection though her mind was still not at ease. She had left the lamp beside her on throughout the night. Gosh! That was the slowest and longest night in her entire life. She felt like she was confined in an asylum; alert and really cautious of the impossible.

Just like the saying goes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. A new day broke and fresh sun rays streamed into the room chasing the darkness away and taking its place. Sakura had never been so happy to see and feel the sun; she finally loved mother nature despite the number of times that she had rained curses on her morning gift. Sarada was still asleep beside her, so she gently got out of bed to go raise the curtains. After completing her task, she carefully walked to the bathroom. It is funny how she finally regained courage just because it was dawn. Maybe because darkness made both animate and inanimate objects lose their reality at night, because they lose their shape leaving humans to create what they perceived as unreal and vindictive.

She entered the bathroom, sat on the toilet and released the liquid that her bladder had been punished to hold throughout the night because she had been too scared to leave her daughter alone and even go about on her own. She finished her business and strutted back to the room. She sat on the bed and just took in the tranquil face of her daughter. Just looking at her wanted her to unleash her waterworks. 'Sarada had been friends with that creature-' Sakura could feel her face drop faster than her flow during that time of the month. ' _Suki... That is the name of that thing-- Suki... But why did it pick her? Why did it pick my baby?_ ' Teardrops were already rolling down her eyes. ' _And to think Suki has Sarada fooled with her appearance and has been alone with her in this room. Sasuke will never believe me. Stupid._ ' She wiped her tears and turned her head to scan the room with a glared stitched on her face. ' _I will protect you Sarada no matter the cost, even if I die in the process._ ' She could feel her confidence building up along with her new resolve. "I love you Sarada -" She kissed the sleeping girl's forehead, "-and I will do everything in my power to protect you."

She was wrong. She was not at a disadvantage. She was at the greatest advantage because she was a MOTHER and nothing is stronger than the love that a mother has for her child. She would protect her own with her dying breath.

 _'I need to go to the hospital!_ ' That was what she needed to do. The first step in achieving her plans. She would do this own her own. "But first things first, breakfast!" Instead of going out of the room, she laid back in bed despite what she had just said. ' _There is no way in hell that I will leave Sarada here. Sasuke can go fix himself something to eat, I don't care_.' She laid down properly and carefully wrapped Sarada in the cocoon of her arms waiting for her to wake up before getting ready to face the day.

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Breakfast was ready and served and Sasuke and Sarada were already munching on their share of food with the last member of the family missing. Sakura had showered and dressed up, rather quickly, prepared breakfast and served Sarada. She did all this immediately Sarada was up and cleaned and Sasuke was still asleep. She knew that because she had entered the room to get a change of clothes. He was lying on his side of the bed with her side still neatly intact as if he was expecting her to come lie with him very soon. She would admit, despite their argument, she still missed him so dearly and would love to share his warmth once more but there is a more important matter at hand and that was the safety of their daughter. She got her clothes; a beige coloured sleeveless gown and a pair of black coloured shoes and she left the room. When she had finished preparing breakfast, she gave Sarada her food and left as soon as Sasuke walked into the dining room. He had already had his bath and she could smell his cologne immediately he entered the diner.

She offered a small 'Good morning' and walked past him and went up the stairs to get her purse from their room. Sasuke entered the dining room and was greeted cheerfully by his daughter, "Good morning Papa. Mama made French toast and bacon and it is yummy."

Sasuke smiled and nodded his head. He could see that Sakura had not dished his food and he made no comment on the matter. He gently walked to the kitchen, served himself and went to take his seat on the dining table. "Did you sleep well Papa? Mama said that you were busy last night." Her tone of voice rose at the last statement that she made, making it sound like a question. She was now looking at him, her toast forgotten.

Sasuke looked dejected for a brief second before he looked his normal neutral façade. "I slept well Sarada." He chose not to answer the last part of her question. Sarada did not press on with the discussion again and continued eating her food along with her father. Both of them enjoying the silence that sat in their midst.

Last night was a big torture to him. After dinner, he had chosen a clean method of avoiding and aiding Sakura to proceed with her new plan of leaving their bedroom. He sat down in the sitting room to listen to the news at eight and the only thing that his mind could remember before going blank with thoughts was the announcement of the presidential debate that will come up early May. Naruto had told them a few days ago that he would contest in this year's election against the now president Danzo Shimura. Seriously, what does that old fart want to do again? He was like 60? 70? Nobody knew because the politics in Konoha was in league with corruption. The minute that man came into power, inflation came along with him. He had ruled about thirty years ago when Konoha was in the military regime and that had made him enforce a new brand of military corps, ROOTS. Ruthless, were they in their bid to uphold the law through legal and illegal means and Konoha's government had turned a blind eye to their grievous acts. He should just step down and let the younger generation take charge. However, from the looks of it, he would rather die in power than leave it.

Sakura had told Naruto to be careful because she did not like the old man. She had never understood politics but what she could make out of Danzo's tenure and regime was that the price of her precious cookies and other food materials had skyrocketed and the country was experiencing high criminal activities. That was enough for her to make Danzo number one in her hate list.

 _Sakura_. Last night had made him remember how empty he felt without her. Their room was devoid of her bright color and personality. The only thing that flooded in their room last night were the memories of the fight that they had. They had fought years before Sarada was born even before and after their marriage but it had not gotten to the point where one of them would leave the room. It was always the silent treatment that they gave each other but this one was an upgrade.

While he was musing, Sakura came downstairs in a beige coloured chiffon knee-length gown with cream flats and her black coat hung on her left arm. She must have waited for him to come out so she could go change her clothes, probably because she felt uncomfortable in the other outfit that she had on. She walked into the kitchen with her mind focused on her slick black and cream check purse as she arranged the contents of her purse with her right hand. For the first time since their fight, he opened his mouth and readied himself to say something to her.

"Where are you going to?"

It was asked in an innocent manner. He took the last bite of his breakfast and pushed the content down his stomach with a glass of orange and lime juice that was sour just the way he liked it. Sarada too had finished her meal and now turned to face her mother, expecting her mother to tell them her destination.

"The hospital." She replied without so much as throwing him one glance. Her purse must have been far too important for that.

"Today is Sunday and you don't work on Sundays. What are you going to do in the hospital?" He pressed on, having a feeling that his wife might be up to her usual gimmick. ' _What does she really want to do? Did things really go that far that she would leave the house to avoid the awkwardness between them?_ ' He turned his head to face his empty plate and glowered at the poor ceramic. ' _No, its not that. Knowing this woman, she might want to go see a witch lady again like that weirdo that she had brought to their house before. This won't be surprising, after all, she had talked crazy yesterday._ ' He was not stupid to think that. Sakura had always been bold and brave in facing a lot of things, well, except when it came to him.

She still had not given him an answer but then he heard her sigh.

She looked up to face him with a languid look plastered on her face. "I just want to check some things at the hospital and put my mind at rest. I was supposed to be there yesterday but I was tired." It was a buyable explanation and she gave him a 'you happy now?' look. He grunted in reply and stood up from his chair to clear his plate.

"Mama, when will you come back?" Sarada asked and Sakura walked up to her and placed a kiss on her head. "I'll be home before dinner or maybe earlier than that-" Sasuke scoffed quietly. _How long would she take in the hospital. She is definitely up to something_.

"-and I made spaghetti. It's in a bowl in the microwave oven. Your Papa can reheat it when you are ready for lunch, okay?" Sarada nodded. Sasuke knew that all that information was for him and he had heard it loud and clear. She just used Sarada to pass the info. Honestly, this madness has got to end. He and Sakura would have a serious talk when she gets back.

"Okay then, I'll be leaving now." She marched to the to the front door but paused before turning the door knob. "Oh! Sarada do you want me to get you anything on my way back?" She turned to face her daughter in the dining room with her hand still gripping the door knob. She stood at a vantage point that gave her an advantage to see both Sarada and Sasuke, who had already finished washing his plates and was now looking at her with a stoic look on his eyes that had an undertone of weariness in them. She cast a quick look at him then shifted her eyes back to Sarada who had a look of great luster polished on her face.

"I want an iced tea and butter coconut biscuit please!" Her eyes sparkled at the order she made. She really loved butter coconut biscuit but that iced tea did not sit right with Sakura. Sarada had gotten that habit of drinking iced tea from Sai and she did not like it. Honestly, that Sai must have had a rough background with his parents when he was little.

"Okay baby, but there are no promises for that iced tea of yours."

"Awwwn but Mama, it is sweet and Inojin drinks it too. So it's not bad." Sarada argued and pouted knowing that she was already fighting a losing battle.

Sakura looked at her with mock scrutiny before she smiled. "I'll see what I will do-" but just as Sarada's face lit up she added, "-but there are no promises." Sakura said and gestured with her right index finger signalling a no-no, negative sign. "Okay Mama." She said in resignation, not feeling the need to put up an argument. Sasuke stood and watched the scene unfold before him. He felt really lucky to have the two of them and he really liked their innocuous quirks.

"Good. Bye baby. Love you." She blew a kiss in the air in Sarada's direction and proceeded to open the front door.

"Bye Sasuke." As quickly as she said that, she was out the front door. Something dropped within him when she told him goodbye so plainly, but he tried to blame it on the juice that he drank that morning.

"Papa?" Sarada turned to face Sasuke.

"Yes Sarada-" it was at that point that he noticed that he had been staring at the door. He looked at Sarada who already had her eyes on him. "Clear out plate Sarada if you are done with your food."

Sarada complied and took her plates to the sink, rising on her tiptoe to put her dish away. Sasuke stood by her and did nothing to help because she was already used to it. Sarada may be their only child but that did not necessarily mean that she should be spoilt based on that reasoning. Sarada on her own was hardworking and independent so it was not hard to impact some morals and good manners into her. On any day, she would get a stool to help boost her height in order to wash her plate but Sasuke decided to relieve her of that duty today. He took her discarded plates to wash it while Sarada stood beside him. Sasuke could feel her eyes on him and decided to aid her in her quest of enquiry.

"Do you have something to say?"

A pause and then, "Papa, is Mama angry with you?" She asked without beating around the bush.

Sasuke finished what he was doing and got a napkin to dry his hands. "No baby, why did you say that?" He answered even though he knew Sarada could smell his lie.

"Because you and Mama haven't really talked much since yesterday." She said quietly, maybe feeling like her father would get angry with her assumption but she was surprise by her father's next gesture. He lifted her up and kissed her right cheek. "Everything will be fine okay? Now let's go watch some movies." He said as he came out of the dining room and entered the sitting room before balancing her on the couch beside him.

Sarada simply kept quiet while her father skimmed through different channels in search of a movie for the both of them to watch.

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After Sakura had closed the door behind her, she made her way to her slick white convertible. When she got in, she put her two hands on the steering wheel and rested her forehead on them. This was really hard and new to her. She was mentally prepared for what to come, so she had to do this while she still held onto the little sanity that she had. "I can do this. This is for Sarada." She gave a long sigh and started the ignition before driving out of the Uchiha compound.

She drove out to the main road and navigated her car to Konoha's highway 7. She drove until she got to an intersection which had a signpost that read 'Crimson-leaves Hospital.' She made a right turn and entered the street leading to the hospital- her hospital. It was a good thirty minutes drive from the mansion and it got worse whenever there was traffic jam.

She continued driving until she saw the building of the hospital closing in. It was somewhat huge. Sasuke, Itachi and Naruto, along with her wonderful aunt Tsunade, had helped by pulling their resources together and building her then little hospital to the gigantesque that it was now. It was not that big per say, more like a medium sized building but it was at the same time, not small. It had three floors plus the ground flour making a total of four and occupied two acres of land.

She had been under her Aunt Tsunade's mentorship while she was in college and she had gotten a little famous since then. This was because Tsunade was the owner of The Hidden Falls General Hospital after it was privatized during President Homura's tenure.

Sakura was grateful for what they had done but she really did not want to accept it. Business was flowing alright but it was too much for only one person to handle. So she made a joint venture with Tsunade but it did not last that long until she gave out some shares to those that helped contribute in the growth of the hospital and also to some family members.

Sarada had a share too but the faith of the hospital would rest on the future career of her daughter. If Sarada does not show any interest in medicine then Sakura might end up taking it to the hands of the government if there won't be any heir to inherit it.

She drove into the hospital and parked in the spot reserved for high officials and dignitaries. When she had parked well, she removed the key from the ignition and got out of her car. She had not lied when she told Sasuke that she was going to the hospital. She really needed to come here and she was ready. She walked into the building and was greeted by the receptionist at the front desk.

"Good morning Mrs. Uchiha." She bowed slightly and continued her work at the computer.

"Good morning Moegi. How are you this morning?" She asked while looking around dernly.

"Oh I feel real good this morning Mrs. Uchiha." Sakura nodded and continued walking but was stopped by Moegi.

"Um... Ma'am, you don't have any thing scheduled for today...unless you might have told me something that I completely forgot but I ca-" Sakura waved her hand signaling her to stop with her blabbing.

"It's okay, I just want to get some documents from my office then I'll be off." Moegi calmed down and just as Sakura started walking again, she stopped, not from interruption but for clarification's sake. "Moegi!?" The poor girl jumped at the suddenness.

"Yes ma'am?"

She started getting nervous as Sakura came closer to her until she stood directly in front of her big desk to face her with unearthed seriousness.

"Are Miss Shizune and Aunt Tsunade around?" Moegi relaxed and shook her head. "Only Miss Shizune, ma'am. I mean Miss Shizune is around. She did her rounds early this morning and is scheduled to leave-" she turned to look at a booklet before looking back at her boss, "-at ten o'clock. Then Doctor Ichika will take over from there."

Sakura nodded in understanding. The time was 9:52am, so in less than twenty minutes, give or take, Shizune would be out. So she would have to avoid being seen till then. "Do you want me to call either of them for you?" Moegi asked uncertainly. Sakura raised her eyebrows, not really getting what she had been asked, "Huh? No, that's not necessary. I just wanted to be sure that's all." She said quickly "Take care." She waved offhandedly and continued the walk to her office, not bothering to wait for a reply.

She moved round the hospital deftly until she was in front of the elevator. As she stood, waiting for the machine to open, something came to her mind. _Shizune might pop out of that elevator. But what was the use, she might eventually see my car in the parking lot, so there's no point avoiding her._ Even still, she was not going to take her chances. She would still work with stealth and if Shizune happens to cross paths with her, she would just tell her what she told Moegi. The elevator dinged and a few people came out before she went in. She pressed the button to the second floor and waited for the machine to work it's wonders of uplifting.

Luckily, she was not stopped by any nurse or doctor or Shizune as she emerged from the elevator. Good. The floor was unusually noisy and nurses were bustling around. Her office was almost at the end of the hall which was normally quiet. Only three doors were left before she could get to the door of her office and just as she was about to cross the second door, she bumped into someone. "Oomph! Sorry, I didn't see you." She apologized before she got a clear view of the person that she bumped into.

"Sakura? My God, how are you? I was just about to go to your house to see you." Shizune said as she looked at the woman before her. 'So much for working with stealth'. Sakura thought.

"I'm fine, Miss Shizune." Sakura examined her as she answered. She wasn't in her scrub or white lab coat which meant that she was about to leave. Sakura had not heard the last part of her sentence clearly but nodded just in case.

"I'm so sorry. I had an early appointment in The Evergreen Estate yesterday so I couldn't come over and the network signal from there was terrible when I tried calling. How are you feeling now?" Shizune rapped in quick succession. Sakura was somehow lost and it was evident on her face through her creased forehead and squinted eyes. "I'm okay, what did you want to call me for?"

"On...uh..Friday night, late at night, Sasuke called to tell me that you fainted." Sakura now understood and she made an 'O' with her mouth in realisation.

"Do you mind telling me what happened. I mean, as a doctor yourself, you should know what happened, right?" Shizune asked slowly and with care. Sakura looked at her and thought of what to tell her.

"Oh, it's no biggy! I was trying to close the curtain and while I stretched, I slipped on the wet tile and hit my head on the floor." She explained but then she noticed that what she had said would lead to more questions that she did not have the strength and time to answer. "But it was a minor hit and I have checked it out so don't worry yourself. I'm fine." She said reassuringly but she could not really tell if Shizune bought her story. She looked at her silver wristwatch and back at Shizune who nodded her head uncertainly.

"Oh-kay. So what brought you to the hospital? You do know that Lady Tsunade gave you a free week right?"

"Yes, but I just wanna get some things from my office."

"Okay. Sakura, if there's anything at all that you want to tell me, that you want to share, don't hesitate to let me know, okay?" Shizune said lovingly. She always treated Sakura like the junior sister that she never had although she did not know if Sakura felt the same. Being her counselor and friend had helped her know and learn how to read the female Uchiha. She did not buy her story but still needed to know if she was okay.

"Oh! Shizune-san, you know I will. Well, let me not keep you waiting. I'll go get the things from my office and leave too."

"Okay, so do you want me to wait for you or something? We can still hang out, you know, if you are less busy." Shizune shrugged.

"No, no. That's would be nice, but how about a raincheck?. I'm not going home immediately... I have somewhere to be..."

Okay, the edgy rise in tone that was contained in that sentence clearly confirmed Shizune's suspicion that Sakura was not just lying but was hiding something. "Fine. I'll see ya when I see ya. Bye and greet Sarada for me."

Sakura looked at the back of Shizune as she departed. "I will, bye!" She responded. Well, that was nothing but an uppercase AWKWARD. She'll definitely get suspicious. 'Naruto did not kid when he told me that I was a terrible liar.'

She shook her head and went to her office. The room was spacious and clean. No messy pile of paperwork was stacked or disarrayed on the table that was rooted on the right side of the room. The room was dimly lit thanks to the thick navy blue curtains that blocked sun rays from working its magic of belighting. A small click sound mingled with the silent room as Sakura turned the light on. She closed the door behind her and went to her desk. She moved her hand to the first small drawer at the bottom of the table and opened it to get a set of little keys. With the object in her hand, she walked to the right side of the room until she stood in front of a chocolate coated cabinet that stood upright on the floor.

She inserted the object into the keyhole and turned it till a click sound emitted from the furniture. She pried it open and a creak sound replied as the door opened compliantly. Her hand skimmed through folders and files until it stopped at a little diary. She got what she was looking for, closed the cabinet door and went to sit on her chair as she looked through the contents of the book.

' _Mei's confectionery, Samui Supe coupon..._ ' The bunch of business cards was so amusing that it scared her. She had more than three dozen of those cardboard cutouts in the pocket sized diary, out of which two dozen of them were irately shameful.

"The Rock Gyms? Big Bite's Daisy? Where in the world did I get these cards?" Shock and amusement danced in the time of her voice. "I am sure that I put that card in here." If she did not find what she was searching for, she would have to switch to phase two of this her plan and it was only another floor away.

A bright looking card came into her line of vision and she pulled it out to read what was written on the flat rectangular piece.

 _THE ROOKIE PEAK_

 _Call-us to cure your 'callus'_

 _You'll be fresh as daisy and we're brought to you by Oto's finest._

 _For more info, visit our email at or follow us at..._

Sakura had shoved the piece of stiff paper at the end of the diary and at the darkest part of her mind, never wanting it to be recollected again. Seriously, I need to stop collecting stuffs from these patients. A lot of the business cards and coupons were filled with blunt and unintelligible words, words that however, stuck to her feeble memory. The painful part of it all was that the cards with the most senseless and abrasive information, happened to have attractive and colourful backgrounds. She then saw another card and was hopeful that it was what she was looking for.

 _"Have you and your partner been trying to no avail?_

 _Never fret, Dripping Sound will take you on cloud nine with our new bank that helpfully lends sp-"_

The rest of the words never made it to her mouth for the obtuse card was thrown in the waste bin, although the words were still very much indelible in her memory.

"This is stupid! Very stupid. And it's going to take forever!" She groaned in aggravation.

Then the same flicker of hope that had sparked in her few seconds ago, re-emerged and completely enveloped her.

"Finally!" She exclaimed.

The card had a graphic image of an eye with a black iris and three white commas circled within the iris. A very strange card indeed. It had the following words imprinted underneath the diagram.

 **Anko Mitarashi**

 **The eye of the unseen and voice for the spirit.**

 **Call- 564 1856**

Well, that was simple and weird but straight to the point.

She got out her cell phone and dialed the number. It rang

First ring...

Second...

Third...

Until someone/something picked it up

'Sorry, the number you're calling cannot be reached. Please try again later.'

She tried again and again and the same machine had answered with the same response over and over again.

"That's it!" She slammed her hands on the poor desk and lifted herself up. She put the diary back from where she took it from and did the same for the keys. She walked to the front door, switched the lights off and made her way to the elevator, pressing the button to the last floor of the building.

She waited until the elevator dinged signalling that it had reached its appointed destination. She walked out and moved quietly into the last floor. This part of the building was as quiet as a graveyard but was not completely silent safe for the beep beep sound of life support machines. This part of the hospital was inhabited by patients that needed intensive care. It was not brightly lit but was cool and quiet for both the subconscious and unconscious patients.

She scanned the premise for the person that she came to look for; for her phase two, and then she saw her.

A lifeless-looking but living woman who had brown eyes that were dull and lacked vitality. She moved slowly as she swept the already clean ground, not noticing the pink haired woman that had walked into the floor she was in.

She kept on sweeping until she finally stopped to acknowledge the new comer. Two nurses passed in front of her but her gaze was undeterred. The nurses gave Sakura a little bow, in form of greeting while the woman still looked at Sakura with dull apathetic eyes.

Sakura walked up to her and bowed her head slightly to the woman, but the gesture was not reciprocated. It did not even look like she had been noticed by the brunette.

"Good morning Ayame-san." She greeted politely in a whisper. Ayame appeared to be fifty, if not sixty but was in fact, in her forties. She was older than Sakura with twelve years but melancholy had given her the aged appearance that framed her face.

Ayame blinked a few times and seemed to have woken up from her daydream. She looked at Sakura and smiled wearyingly. "Mrs. Uchiha," she greeted with the little amount of enthusiasm that she could muster. Just as she had snapped back to reality,she fazed out again but her eyes were still on Sakura but they looked lost.

Sakura took the broom from her hands and held the woman's hand, guiding her to another secluded room. It was an unoccupied ICU. She dropped the broom and urged Ayame to take her seat on a chair that was opposite the bed that she would sit on.

"Mrs. Uchiha, good morning."

"Ayame-san, how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that," Sakura said softly. "Call me Sakura, just Sakura."

"Oh! Sorry Miss Sakura." Sakura would have faced palmed had it been any other day that she was in a jovial mood. "What do you want me to do for you miss? Did I do something wrong?"

"Again, just call me Sakura, okay? And no, you did not do anything wrong. I just came to ask you something."

"Okay?" Ayame looked bored... or sleepy, it was hard to tell with those ever drooping eyes.

"So, do you remember Anko, the woman that you told me about five years ago?"

Ayame maintained her facial appearance maybe because she couldn't remember or she wasn't even listening.

"The woman you called the spirit mediator. Do you remember her?" Sakura prompted.

No response.

"She has a deep purp-"

"I know the woman, I was the one that told you about her." Her dull look remained and the dullness spread across the words that she had just spoken monotonously.

"Yes, that woman. I have tried calling her but her line was not reachable and there was no address written on her call card for me to get in touch with her."

Ayame still had that dull blank look on her face but it took a different turn this time, she looked like she had fazed off into space, not hearing what she was told. She was looking at Sakura but not really looking or seeing her.

"Do you happen to know how I can contact her? I really need her hel-"

"I can't go to where she is."

Huh?

"Is she outside the country? If that is so, can you recommend anot-"

"She is with Kenta and Rin."

Confusion played on Sakura's face. "Please, I don't understand what you're talking about. Who are Kenta an-"

"She is with them and I can't get to them." Her voice sounded hoarse and sad but her facade remained the same.

"What? With who? Who's them?"

Ayame was not even looking at her again. Just chanting whatever came to her mind.

"Ayame-san, what are you talking about?" She placed a hand on the said woman's hand. It was rough and somehow wrinkled under her touch. "Are you okay? Its okay if you don't know-"

She looked at her dead in the eye, "Dead."

"Huh? Don't tell me- Anko can't be-" Sakura was shocked to the core.

"She is dead." Ayame looked at her then at her wrinkled hands. "Gone from the face of this world. A horrible end she met!"

"W-what happened? Was it an accident?"

"No, she was the accident, the mistake. She caused it." A horrible smarting and churning worked its way to Sakura's pit of a stomach.

"What do you mean?" Sakura swallowed.

"She angered a spirit. She caused it." Ayame repeated and then looked up to once again face the pale face of Sakura.

"How would you know that? Did the-"

"She dried up. Her gore was found outside her carcass a day after she was last seen."

"What?" Sakura choked

"Happened last four, no five years. Yes five years. I heard the news a week before Rin's birthday." Ayame frowned as she talked cynically. "What did you want her for?"

"I just- I wanted- Oh my God! I don't even know again." It wasn't completely a lie. She could not invite her over to her house again. What she hoped for was that Anko would have made an intercessory prayer or given her something to ward off the bring in her house but she had not been prepared to hear this. This was not a normal circumstance. Given that it happened five years ago did not seem like a mere coincidence to Sakura also. So she posed the instigating question, "When did she die? What month is Rin's birthday?"

"July. It happened around July."

July, July, July. Sasuke got her a shrink early July about two weeks, thereabout, after she had called Anko. No, it can't be possible. How can I entertain such a thing in my mind?

"I know someone."

She had been caught up in her little frenzy that she did not hear what Ayame had spoken. "What?"

"I know someone. She lives in the suburbs. People call her the Angel."

"Can you give me her address?"

"A place like that is not meant for you Miss."

Sakura furrowed her brows. "Is she dangerous? Can't she help me?"

Ayame livened up a little. "Oh no, she is harmless. It's just that the neighborhood doesn't suit you."

"I don't care about the neighborhood, believe me. I just need a little help from the people that can give it. From people like Anko."

"Okay Miss Sakura. If you are ready, I'll take you to her."

"I am. I'm ready." Sakura said firmly with resilience. "Take me there."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE.**

 _It wasn't much of a drama but it is a start. I have already mapped out how the next two or three chapters are going to look like and this is just a scratch of the first plot that I planned out, so stay tuned and keep the fire burning._

 _Aha! The behaviour and character of the five year old Sarada in this story is synonymous to that of my little five-year old cousin. He is brilliant, attentive, emotional and shy. Once he notices something odd, he would shyly point it out. So I just wanted to let you know before you all think that Sarada's sharpness does not go along with her age. Well, that is all that I have to say. I'll hear from you guys next time. Ja ne!_


	7. Chapter 6

_Hello everyone. Sorry for the long wait. Thank you for your reviews and comments although there was only one but it was still something. Enjoy_

 **CHAPTER 6**

Saying he was angry would be an understatement. He was livid, frustrated and worried all at once.

"What do you mean by 'she left an hour ago'? She hasn't come home since!" he interjected angrily to the innocent person on the other line.

" _S-sir, she said that she was g-going to get some documents from her office and w-would be off...would go immediately_." The person on the other line stuttered flimsily.

"Did you see her leave with any document?"

" _Yes Sir._ "

"Is Shizune or Tsunade around?" Sasuke asked while looking at the clock that hung in the vast parlor.

" _No Sir. Miss Shizune left few minutes before Mrs Uchiha left. And Miss Tsunade has not come to the hospital since yesterday...when she came to do some work and rounds for Mrs Sakura._ " Sasuke's forehead creased at what he heard. "So, my wife did not have any rounds to take care of yesterday? She wasn't expected at the hospital at all yesterday?"

" _No Sir, she wasn't_." The voice of Moegi, the receptionist at the hospital, echoed in his head. She had answered with surety and that alone begged the next question that bounced off his lips. "Was she scheduled to work today?"

A pause and some shuffling was heard before he got a reply. " _No sir._ "

"Okay. That'll be all." He said with a tone that indicated that the conversation had come to an end.

" _Okay. Bye sir_." He let out an inaudible 'Hn' and ended the transmission. That woman was up to something and the fact that he was left in the dark about it was irksome.

Sarada had lost interest in watching their movie and had gone upstairs to play which gave Sasuke the perfect time to check up on Sakura. He had not called her because he knew she would try to manoeuvre her way out of the discussion or would instantly lie through her perfect white teeth.

He did not want to call either Tsunade or Shizune because he felt that they might be busy in the theatre or something and if not that, he might entertain some unnecessary ideas into their minds about what was happening between he and Sakura, if he called their attention to it. So he decided to call Moegi, the hospital receptionist, that was friends with Naruto.

He had gotten the confirmation from her that something was up and now all he could do was debate on whether or not to call Sakura and question her. He could not just sit down and cause an unnecessary headache for himself by overthinking and assuming. So he got his android phone out and clicked on Sakura's contact from his call log. His right thumb hung over the call button as he tried to compose himself and think of a way to approach the matter. He kept on pondering on whether or not to call her or just wait for her return but then he made his decision. His hovering thumb slowly descended on the call button and was about to click on it when a call came in.

Sasuke looked at the screen of his phone and saw the number along with the name of the person that was calling and confusion alongside puzzlement came upon him. He clicked on the answer button and brought the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

" _Sasuke_?" The sleek voice of the caller resounded in his ear. "Yes?" he answered.

 _"Oh thank goodness! I've been trying to reach you. I called your other line but you did not pick up."_

"Sorry, but I did not see any missed call. How can I help you, Shizune?"

" _Oh okay but I really called even when I was in E-Gest since yesterday. I just wanted to greet you._ " Sasuke knew that the last sentence she said was a white lie and he could feel a discussion about his wife coming up. " _I saw Sakura in the hospital today_ -"

'Bingo!' He thought.

"- _we talked and when I asked why she fainted that night, she told me she tripped and hit her head on the floor."_ That's Shizune for you- caring, perceptive and straight to the point.

" _Sasuke? Are you still listening?"_ It did not cross his mind that the pause after her last statement was for him to say something.

"Yes, I'm here." He replied and took a seat on the couch.

" _Was that what she told you? If it was true, did you take her to do a MRI scan 'cos Sasuke I don't believe a word of it._ " Shizune said shortly on the other line

"She told me that she saw someone or something and it got her so scared that she fainted. I don't even know what to believe again." He used his free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose as he rested his head in the black leather couch.

" _What did she see? What...who did she say she saw?_ " Sasuke chuckled bitterly, "A demoness."

" _Come again. It seems I'm not hearing right_."

"She said. that she saw. A. Demoness" Sasuke broke it down to her stipulation.

" _What!?_ " she thundered. Shock and disbelief was all he heard in that question and tone of voice.

"She said the lights in the house went off, strange things happened and she saw the demon." He reiterated tiredly.

" _Wow_." Shizune breathed out.

"She also said that it was in the house and something about it being mostly in Sarada's room."

A pause and even breathing took over the line.

" _If I were anyone else, I would have gotten her a shrink... But a demon? That's a tad...that's far-fetched, isn't it? Did it really get this worse since she stopped coming for her counselling sessions?_ "

"Not really. She has been normal for some years now but she recently started saying this...thing now." he replied. She has been normal for some years. He hated the way he said that as if she belonged to the mental institute and was insane.

" _Oh_." He could loudly hear that she was short of words. " _So, how did you handle it. I am sure it didn't end well."_

Sasuke frowned at her words and the implication that it carried. She must have known that their discussion did not end peacefully but he was not going to make an announcement on the matter. This was he and Sakura's problem and was for both of them alone to solve. "Hn. Is there any other thing that you want to say?" his voice was heavy with tiredness and a little tinge of anger.

 _"Not really_."

Sasuke made a move to end the call. "Ok bye-"

" _No wait_ -" Shizune rushed with her words, "- _Is she home yet?"_ Sasuke thought about what she asked and wondered why she was asking, "No, why?" he asked carefully, trying to understand why she had asked so suddenly.

 _"Where did she go? Is she allowed to...i mean, is it okay for her to go out on her own?"_ He knew exactly what those words meant. Those words clearly spelt out that Shizune was questioning his wife's state of mind- she was questioning Sakura's sanity and he couldn't help feeling angry. " _\- I didn't mean it like that, okay? It's just that she was acting weird at the hospital and she said that she was going out."_ She luckily corrected herself but why was he angry when he had done the same to Sakura, right in front of her. He had no right to be mad at anyone but himself.

" _Sasuke?"_ she must have known that she had pressed his button with what she had said before. Since then, she felt as though she had been talking to herself but she still knew that he was on the line safe for the static emitting his levelled breathing.

"I don't know where she went to. She told me that she would go to the hospital to check up on some things." He had finally answered. This was getting old and troublesome. He will call Sakura immediately after he finishes with this woman.

" _Ok then. I will call her later. Is Sarada there?"_ Sasuke turned to the staircase, imagining what the little girl was up to.

"No, she is upstairs." He stood up and made for the stairs knowing that Shizune would want to talk to her. " _Ok. I really want to talk to her but I can't right now. I have something to take care of. Bye!"_ she said urgently and hung up. Sasuke had already reached Sarada's room and was not going to turn back now. He put his phone in his pocket and opened the door to his daughter's room. She wasn't there. So he moved to his room and pried the door open gently.

She was lying on his bed, in the middle, and was battling sleep. He peeped just in time to see her yawn and rub at her eyes. That girl was stubborn even when it came to giving into sleep and that was why she slept the longest. He smiled and closed the door gently, trying not to bring her back from her dazed world.

He went downstairs and dialed his wife's number, praying that she would answer.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Are you sure that this is the right road?" she asked after taking the left turn that she was told to take.

"Yes. This part of Konoha is really busy and some parts are dark and gloomy. Not a place for someone like you, you agree now don't you?" Ayame, who was seated on the passenger seat of Sakura's car replied.

"Oh you don't know me at all, Ayame-san. I didn't grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth. So, I am not new to this type of places."

After Ayame had agreed to take her, she told her to get her things and go out of the hospital premises to wait for her, so they can be unsuspected and unseen by scuttlebutts.

She went to her office and took some unimportant files to cover her lie of wanting some documents in the first place. She drove out of the parking lot and met Ayame at some point in the road. They drove from the hospital to the suburban part of Konoha for over forty minutes now with Ayame pointing out the road and Sakura obeying. They had made a lot of turns and Sakura had started doubting Ayame's ability to direct.

She had told Sakura to take a left turn for the nth time and Sakura was just about to give up when Ayame spoke again. "Angel's abode is down this street, so just go straight."

"Ok. Why is this place so, so... what's the word?" Sakura asked still focused on the road ahead of her.

"Gloomy? Shady? Indistinct? Murky?" Ayame helped.

"Yeah. It's populated but it looks dejected, forgotten." Sakura spoke just in time to see groups of little kids wearing things synonymous to rags clustered together. "That's because of our able President, Shimura. Corrupt leaders and leadership itself does this to people. You did not know this because you have not come across it in your family. You always have money slapped on your table at your every request." Ayame replied with nothing but boredom.

"It's not like that, Ayame-san. I worked my way to what i am today. I grew up poor and my father died just when I was ten." no response came from the other woman, but Sakura could feel her eyes drilling into her and she caught it briefly when she looked at the woman with the corner of her eyes. "Imagine a life without the breadwinner of the family and a single mother. Not just any mother but a strict and strong one at heart. Nothing good came easy then but I still succeeded." The road was now narrow and bumpy, so Sakura drove gently to avoid any unnecessary accident.

"Sounds tough." Ayame finally replied.

"It _was_ tough. That is, until I met people- good and nice people that- _Ohmygod!"_

She shrieked as she slammed the brake causing both she and Ayame to jerk forward abruptly. A short yelp was heard from Ayame. Their heads would have made a good and clean connection with the steering wheel and board of the car respectively, had it not been for the unyielding attachment of their seat belts.

Sakura gave a quivering sigh, then raised her head carefully till only her eyes were given permission to see what was before her. Ayame had recovered too and was at the edge of her seat, imitating what Sakura was doing.

After Sakura had seen what she wanted to see, she removed her seat belt and dashed out of the car.

"Oh my goodness! Are you okay?"

She went round the front bonnet of the car and knelt down in front of it. She carried a little boy who was curled up on the floor. He was shaking all over and crying, maybe because of the close call he just had. "It's okay. I'm sorry, sweetie."

The little brunette raised his head up to reveal a frightened set of beautiful brown eyes. "I'm so sorry. Are you hurt?"

"Nuh uh." he shook his head, still shaking but calming down a little. He looked younger than Sarada, probably around Himawari, Naruto's daughter's age. Sakura picked him up and saw that he was dressed in a black tattered shirt with shorts and caked in mud. She instantly felt sad and pitied all those in the same condition. Another boy ran to the two of them and held the smaller boy. The newcomer looked a little older than Sarada and she could tell that they were brothers thanks to their identical looks but the difference the hair color.

"Shiro, are you okay? Are you injured?" The redhead asked his younger brother. At this point, a little crowd had gathered, majority of them being kids that hid behind the comfort and coverage of the few adults legs. "Shun" the little boy shook his head. His elder brother, Shun, checked him out for any bruise and scratch and when he was contented with his search, he lifted his brother up to stable his still weakened legs. "Let's go okay. Mummy doesn't know that we are here-"

"Hey." They both turned to the owner of the voice and looked at her like she was an alien. They had completely forgotten about her, so she had to get their attention again. "I didn't hit you, right?" She asked Shiro but the said boy just stared at her. After a few heartbeat, he stood upright and hugged his elder brother.

Sakura could only look at him wth sadness and pity. These things really made her feel emotional. She stood up from her crouched form and turned to face the crowd but she really did not know what to do, what to say or how to act.

"Kid, don't ever run across the road like that especially when you see strange things that you haven't seen before." A newcomer spoke up but Sakura recognized the person immediately.

"Ayame-san, don't say things like that" she said in a sharp quiet whisper but Ayame was unperturbed and her facial expression was both solemn and serious at the same time. "Kid!" She called out and the little boy turned to look at her with a new level of fright which made Shun hug him more. "Have you seen this thing before?" she asked, pointing to the white car behind her. The little boy only stared at her before shaking and nodding his head a little, all at the same time.

"I have, but he has only seen some of them from up the hill that we play in." Shun replied. "Maybe he thought they were as small as the ones he saw."

"Hmm, then maybe his moth-"

"That's enough Ayame-san." Sakura interjected angrily, tired of the way Ayame was talking. They could be stoned or beaten up by aggravated villagers thanks to her choice of words. She walked back to the car to get some cash from her wallet and thought of the little errand that Ayame would go in a few second.

She got the right amount and went back to the site- the awkward site. "Here." She handed the money to Ayame. "I saw a grocery store few buildings back. Please go buy some snacks or something. Buy as many as the money can cover." The store she had seen was not all that robust, eye-catching or elegant. The money she gave Ayame could even buy more than half of the shop but it did not matter. It was something, something that can help cut the weird tension in the air.

Ayame did not make any comment and did as she was told. Sakura used the silent time to check her car and purse once again for candy bars and sweets. Being a weird sugar lover, she carried those diabetes causing agents in her car and purse, in case of emergency. The mini crowd had dispersed but few kids remained. 'This is going to be a long day.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You will have to reverse a little, so that you can turn to the road we came through."

"Ya think?" Sakura huffed in annoyance.

"It's not my fault that the road is narrow. You go any further and you'll be stuck when you want to drive out." Ayame explained as she crossed her arms over her voluptuous chest.

"Yeah, you're right. At least, our minor incident has been settled. No more distractions and obstacles." After Ayame returned with a nylon bag filled with varieties of snacks and refreshments, Sakura shared them among the children thereby adding it to the sweets which had already been given to them prior to Ayame's arrival. They stood in front of the car and the children ran off not without offering words of gratitude with smiles on their faces. She and Ayame were currently circling the car while talking about what to do next.

The tires of the car were muddy and the brownish black sand mixture had left its signature on the brilliant white surface of the car in form of artistic splays, splashes and streaks. "Oh My Goodness. Why on earth did I choose this car today?" Sakura stamped her feet angrily on the floor prompting more mud to use her legs and gown as their next canvas. " _Eeeep!_ " she shrieked. "Sasuke is totally gonna know something after this." she whined.

"Rich people." Ayame murmured amd shook her head. "What?" Sakura asked absentmindedly while she used a tissue to wipe her legs and cloth clean but the questioned woman shook her head and dismissed the topic. "So are you going to reverse or go on?"

"I'll reverse, then wear my coat and go meet that Angel." she recited angrily as she got into the car along with Ayame.

After she had reversed and changed the direction of the car, they got out and started the long walk to Angel's house. "The time is 10:48. We are spending nothing more than an hour here. I have to get back early." Sakura said as she busied herself with wearing her coat. "Are we gonna walk for long?"

"Not really but it can get shorter if you have something to talk about." Ayame replied boredly.

"Okay...This 'Angel', what is she like? What's her story?" Sakura asked as they both trudged down the bumpy road. Ayame chuckled a bit, "Do they all need to have a story?"

"Yeah, I mean, they couldn't have gotten up one faithful morning and decided to take up that line of work. There has got to be a story." Sakura spoke with every tone of a sure person.

"Well, she is a beautiful woman. Had friends and a fiancé. Fiancé died, so she moved here. But she always had a knack for things of the spirit."

"Wow!" Sakura breathed out. "That's sad. What about her friends? Aren't they bothered?"

"Why should they be bothered? I don't know all the details, we're not that close. Only came to her twice but she is okay." Ayame shrugged.

Having nothing else to say and also being tired of talking, they both allowed silence to walk with them and at the same time, they took in their surroundings. They passed a small alley where Sakura saw a group of hippies and goons. A whistle came from one of them and Sakura made eye contact with one of them who winked and opened his mouth to showcase black and brown set of teeth. Another grinned, not feeling perturbed to flash an awful set of teeth that looked like a hammer was used to count them.

Sakura unconsciously hugged her coat to her body to cover herself well, although there was nothing to cover. "Maybe it's your hair that's making them wild." Ayame said blinking away from the same direction Sakura had been looking.

"I doubt it. Let's just hurry up." They continued until they got to a small open field. The landscape was not as dirty as the other parts of the road. Little houses with good roofs were arranged on this side and it had a little high remark in terms of beauty and tranquility. Ayame pointed to a little grey coloured building. A nice colour indeed to hide sandy and dirty endowments. Sakura went in the direction that she was pointed to and stood in front of the black door.

"Is this where she lives?" Ayame nodded. Sakura exhaled and readied herself. She was feeling a little fidgety but there was no turning back now. She had not slept a wink the previous night, had gotten up early, made a great effort to lie about where she would be, almost given a toddler an early ticket to the afterlife and had an appearance of someone who lived in a muddy forest. Come hell or high water, she was going to do this.

"You know, you can always open the door today." Ayame pointed out, not really understanding the reason for the delay. "I'm ready." Sakura breathed out and knocked. She knocked once, twice, thrice but did not get any response. "Maybe no one's home?" Sakura looked at Ayame with her shoulders raised in an 'i don't know' manner.

"Open it." Ayame said once again as she pierced her boss with dull eyes. Sakura did as she was told and twisted the knob of the door. A little creaky sound echoed from the doors as they opened slightly to welcome the guests into a dark abyss. They both walked in and Ayame closed the door behind the two of them. Everywhere was dark except for a few candles that were lit. Despite the awful look outside, the interior was far from ugly. It was painted in a cool blue and cream color and the decors were simple and okay. The makeshift porch that laid on the floor was dazzling and whatever else that the candle light permitted to view, was beautiful. "Wow!" Sakura breathed in amazement. All fear of the unknown had left her now and all she could do was squint her eyes to get a little view of the interior designs.

"My, my. I didn't think people had the guts to enter here even though free entry's permitted. Knocking has long been buried and forgotten in this century." A mild voice came from behind a barricade of brown coated bamboo curtains. Sakura turned to face the position that the voice was heard amd could make out a murky silhouette of a woman.

"I'm sorry but we knocked and when you didn't answer, we...uh...walked in?" The figure jerked a little at the reply and Sakura could feel little of her discarded fear gluing to her body once again. She turned her head and seeing Ayame still calm and looking in control, helped soothe her a little.

Suddenly, the candlelight that was behind the bamboo curtain was blown off and was replaced immediately by a bright yellow light. The sudden light intruded her orbs and she shut it tight to prevent a short blindness from occuring. As her eyes hid behind her lids, she heard the sound of the curtains shaking meaning that the Angel had made an appearance and when she felt her eyes could adjust, she opened them in form of narrow slits until full wide viridian eyes were exposed.

She frowned in utter shock, amazement and disbelief. She had not prepared for this. The woman that stood before her was a beauty, a mere personification of her alias. She had a purplish blue hair that could pass for a dark shade of cornflower blue. Her piercing amber eyes were beautiful and were also complimented by the lavender eye shadow she wore above them.

"Konan?" She asked in wonder and bewilderment. The woman before her was still as beautiful as she remembered, feminine and eye-catching. Gone were the short chin-length hair that once adorned her face. Her tresses were a little longer, some were tied into a messy bun while some fell around hugging her face and neck. She had on a light red lipstick on her soft looking lips. She wore a light blue sleeved shirt that was tucked securely by a long black Caribbean skirt.

"Sakura." The woman replied sadly and knowingly. "What are you-"

"You're the Angel!? How can you _be_ here? Why are you even here? I can't believe this!" Sakura cut in. She looked her up again until her emerald eyes clashed with Konan's amber ones.

"Sakura, just listen to me please." Konan tried again pleading this time.

"Itachi..." Sakura's eyes widened and then she turned to look at Ayame, who looked disinterested and in space. She turned back to face Konan, shocked "You were here all this time? We thought you were dead!...What about Itachi? Do you know what happened to him? Do you know how he died worrying about you? Looking for you?" She shouted angrily, making Ayame snap out of her daydream.

"You know her?" Ayame spoke at last. "No duh!" Sakura exclaimed sarcastically, turned to Ayame and pointed to Konan accusingly, "She was my brother-in-law's fiancee. She didn't show up at the bachelorette party that we threw for her few days before her wedding."

"Sakura," Konan moved maybe trying to hold her hand but Sakura reclined before any contact could be made. "Please, let me explain-"

"Don't fucking touch me! He died looking for you. And you did not so much as show up for his wake or burial. Did you even know that he was gone?" Sakura asked teary eyed. Konan also, was in the same condition.

"I knew. Sakura please don't talk as if I didn't love him. He knew why I left. Please hear me out." Konan said again.

Sakura stared at her with hard cold eyes. "Okay! Let's hear it. Let's hear the reason that made you leave without saying goodbye. Let's hear why you caused this heartache, Let's hear why you cut us out of your life!" Ayame could only stand to watch the scene before her.

"I loved Itachi, I swear it. I didn't mean for him to die, that's why I left." She kept quiet and looked at the floor.

"So, you leaving him was for his own good. You leaving your fiance meant that he would live? That's bull." Sakura spat, her face concorted with contempt.

"It's true. I had to leave for his safety. I was involved in something and I had to leave because he was going to get in trouble and I didn't want that." Sakura relaxed a little, now interested in the story but her facial expression did not change from the icy contemt she was hurtling at the woman before her.

Konan looked at her with tears running down her face. "I had a friend, Nagato. I knew him through Yahiko, my ex. I wasn't close to Itachi then, I wasn't even in Koniha then. Nagato somehow got involved with a syndicate group. I won't tell you the name because I don't want you getting hurt over something you know. Nagato, Yahiko and I were inseparable and so we were both dragged along with Nagato. The guys did some stuff, bad stuff and tried their best to keep me out of it, out of the dirty work." She released a calming breath and took a seat on her makeshift sofa. Sakura did the same too but kept her distance, her legs were tired and wobbly from all the walking and standing and she was going to give them their rest. The hostile air she was giving off had dissipated but her stare was still as piercing as ever. "I came to Konoha on a job hunt and that was when I met Itachi...I didn't come all the way from Ame just to look for a job though, I wanted to get as far away from the madness as humanly possible and both Yahiko and Nagato helped. I had gotten used to things here that I completely forgot about Ame. Itachi didn't suspect a thing until the time he proposed... I had gotten a text message from Yahiko saying that Nagato was dead and he himself was in hiding. He told me to hide too. Eventually, Itachi found out one way or another and we had a heated conversation. We decided that we would keep quiet about it and that was what we did. But one thing he didn't kmow was that you don't leave such groups easily or alive. The only way to leave is to die."

"Later on, I started getting little messages from the group saying that they had found me and if I didn't meet up with them, Itachi would die. I didn't tell Itachi about it and each time I got their messages either through papers or texts, I'd either throw them out, delete or burn them. Few days before my bachelorette party, i got a package filled with different pictures of not just Itachi, but people that I knew, that I was close to- Sasuke, Tsunade, Naruto, you." She sighed and released a shaky breath. "A message came along with the pictures, 'Either you choose your pick or we will', it said. I was devastated. So I made provisions to leave, not to go back to them, but to find some sort of safe haven. I left Itachi a note, explaining why I left but I didn't know that he would be that...wasted. After I heard about the accident, I broke down. Then I heard he died on the spot and what crossed my mind was that it wasn't a normal hit and run. It was planned. I made them angry and they took it out on him. Guilt had eaten me up and I didn't want to show my face to any one of you again. I felt like I had betrayed you guys. I didn't come for his wake because I didn't think that I would be welcomed and my presence would have roused some unnecessary questions and disquietude, but I came for his burial. Stood at a distance and waited for everyone to leave before I went to apologise to him."

The hard look Sakura had stitched on her face had turned to one of pity and sympathy, "That's...Wow! I don't... I don't know what to say really." Sakura murmured. Ayame made herself comfortable on a chair near the arc that was framed by the bamboo curtain. Sakura had opened her mouth to talk but was not granted the time thanks to the buzzing sound that rang from her purse. She reached out for the phone in her purse and saw the name of the caller.

 **Incoming Call...**

 **MY COOKIE**

She groaned a little and decided to let it ring. She couldn't lie about her whereabout now. She hadn't stayed that long for him to call though. It may be an emergency, it might not be but it didn't matter. She had to hurry up. If that husband of hers calls a second time, then she would pick and hear what he had to say but for now, she had to deal with what was at hand.

"Sasuke?" Konan asked and got a nod from the Uchiha matriarch.

"Yeah. So what! You started living down here with a fake alias? Because, I don't remember you being a spiritual person." Sakura tilted her head in askance.

"Actually, I used to do this in Amegakure, long before Nagato joined the Ak...the group." She corrected herself before spilling anymore than necessary. "I was known as the Goddess then, wasn't famous or anything. I worked to extort money from people. Didn't know there'll be consequences for toying with the names of the dead and resting, didn't care. Till I was supposedly branded by one. Wanted to pull out but I got used to it. The group did not know about this. I was like seventeen years old then. I came down here and started again. At first, I did this to make money. Just tell people some stuff and they'll pay and leave. At the same time, it scared people away because they were afraid I would curse them or kill them in their sleep. It was perfect for me. I really do have a knack for engaging with things of the spirit though but it's a long complicated story, which I know you don't have the time to listen to, right?" Konan asked demurely. "Yes, you are right." Sakura agreed.

"Okay, so are we good? I'm sorry for running away like that but believe me when I tell you that it was for the best." Konan said placatingly. She looked at Sakura with pleading teary eyes and waited eagerly for her answer. Then the pink haired woman surprised her by smiling and hugging her, "Yeah we're good. It's good to know that you're okay though. And I'm sorry you had to go through all that alone." Konan sniffed and returned the warm embrace.

"Thank you Sakura. Thank you so much for understanding." Konan said smiling heartily. Sakura laughed and released her.

"It's alright. But-"

"I think we came here for something else and I do remember you saying that you will spend less than thirty minutes here." Ayame interrupted grouchily. She looked tired and Sakura couldn't help but pity her. She knew that the woman was bound to get tired sooner or later.

"Yeah, what _did_ bring you here?" Konan asked, eyebrows scrunched with curiosity. The atmosphere had changed completely. No more hostility and heat, no more tension. It had been replaced by a bitter augurial atmosphere. Sakura's poise had changed as well. No longer was the frown that marred her face. She now looked like the pleading one. She inhaled and exhaled and looked at Konan straight in the eyes. "I...I know this might sound crazy but... I think my house is being haunted or something's following us, Sarada especially." Konan frowned at those words.

"Sarada?" she asked.

"Yes, she's my daughter. She's five years old. Here." Sakura showed her a picture of Sarada on her phone and Konan couldn't help the way her heart melted ecstatically. "She's beautiful. And you're sure that the ghost is following her?"

Sakura took the phone and looked at the picture herself. "It's her imaginary friend and I saw it . It looked like a demon or the ghost of a demon. Pale white with horns." Sakura explained and looked up from the device.

"Come here." Konan said out of the blue. Sakura stood up and followed her to the room behind the bamboo shaded curtain. This lounge was cool and spacy. Two comfy chairs were stationed against each other with a table in the middle. Of the two chairs, one was a one seater while the other could take two to three persons.

"Have your seat." She said to Sakura and surprisingly, to Ayame too. She went roumd the table and walked behind the other black chair to get a minty green scarf that hung on the wall. She walked back to her seat as she tied the scarf round her head. When she sat expectantly, she noticed her 'customer' was still busy getting mesmerized by the room that she had just entered. "Wow! You still know how to accessorize and decorate." She spoke up now looking at the various ornaments that hung on the wall. "Don't they steal in this kind of place? Oh! Sorry, I forgot you scare people."

Konan laughed and cleaned her face. "Yeah, still as funny as ever. Let's continue, shall we?"

The smile that was etched on Sakura's face disappeared and she looked at Konan. She told them the whole story; the penthouse, what happened the night she saw the figure, the fight she had with Sasuke and to the revelation Sarada made about her friend, Suki. Konan was absorbed in the story and so also was Ayame. When she had finished, Konan breathed out and reclined her back to the chair. "So, you think it's a spirit that Sarada sees everyday? And you happened to see it...no...it made an appearance to you?" Konan asked analytically. "Yeah." Sakura replied.

"But there are no such thing as ghosts, only well-written ghost stories. Well, that's what I used to think." Ayame disclosed.

"Oh there _are_ stories. I see you have forgotten the Rin you conversed with years ago. Be it ghosts or demons. Nothing is as it seems in this world." Konan asserted knowledgeably. "You said it followed you guys from the penthouse and resides closer to Sarada than anyone else in the house?" Sakura nodded, "It's her new imaginary friend. Can you help? What should I do? I couldn't sleep last night because of this thing."

"You said you came prepared, let me test you on that. What did you bring along with you? Anything at all that belongs to Sasuke and Sarada?" Konan asked as she crossed her arms. Sakura smirked and opened her bag to produce a necklace that had a written emblem, _Sarada_ as its pendant, a little wrist band and a silver chain. "I have this necklace for Sarada but I don't think Sasuke would agree to wear any of these, so can you just do a little abracadabra on it and tell me to just leave it in our room?"

Konan chuckled, "Hmm, I'll try. You aced the test too. Looks like reading too much came in handy." She complimented. "Give it." she said with outstretched hands. "Ayame, please can you turn off the light from that switch?" The said woman did as she was told and returned to her position beside Sakura. The room wasn't completely dark and then a little fire ignited from the match stick that Konan had struck and it spread round as she lit some candles around them before going back to sit down. She closed her eyes and held the items in the palm of her hands.

After five minutes of meditating and praying, she finally opened her eyes and flashed amber orbs at Saura who was startled at first. "Take them. Let Sarada wear this all the time. After an hour, ask her if she can see Suki. The necklace should wad Suki off even if she's either a demon or spirit. Keep asking her to know when the power has worn off."

Sakura frowned a bit, "Worn off? Can't you just give me something that would chase the...Suki away?"

"Sakura, I don't know how strong this thing is. I've had only one client with a serious case of being possessed by a demon and he came in when it was too late. I helped Ayame send a message to her daughter Rin, but it was only for a few minutes. I wasn't ordained into this job, i was cursed or branded... whatever. I didn't study or spend years learning its art, what did I do?; I got caught up with a syndicate group, lived life to the fullest, got engaged and endangered the life of my fiance. All I had was ten years of catching up with prayers and meditations." She took in little gulps of air. "Do as I just told you. These two wouldn't work for Sasuke, so just put this-" she passed the other two items along with a granite tablet, the size of an alarm clock, to Sakura. "-in any part of the house. Can be around the staircase or in a locked room or closet, wherever. It negates negative energies and spirits. So Sarada can also be protected without the necklace. That'll be all."

Sakura looked at her with sympathy. She had been through a lot on her own and now she was helping her out. "Thank you so much Konan."

"You're very much welcome. Don't worry, I won't charge." Konan said, smiling. Sakura returned the gesture but it was a sad one, "I wasn't worried about that...why don't you come with me. You don't have to stay here, you don't have to pine away waiting for either...the group or death to knock... or open your door." Tears were already falling down her face and Konan just looked on with pained sadness.

"I can't Sakura, I just can't. You're all safer without me. Look at me! I'm miserable and I need to stay this way." Sakura shook her head with a force that would have dislocated her neck. She reached out, grabbed Konan's hands and squeezed until her knuckles turned white. "Don't say such a thing. You need...you need more life. You need to stop feeling dead and...and stop working with death. Had it been any other day and if the situation hadn't been this urgent, I wouldn't have indulged you, I wouldn't have let you help me. Just please, come with me." Sakura cried as she bent her head to rest them on their joined hands.

Konan shook her head as the tears rolled down. She removed her hands from Sakura's grip, stood up from her seat and marched to the front door, "You guys should go."

Ayame did not waste any time and made for the door but Sakura had not moved. "Sakura please." Konan begged. Finally, she moved. She raised her head up in the candlelit room but did not stand up. She stayed like that for a few minutes until she cleaned her face. Konan could see the rise and fall of her shoulders indicating that she was calming down. Sakura packed her things and stuffed them in her purse, checked the time, 11:37am it said. She cleaned her face once more and stood up, she walked to the door and finally looked at Konan before surprising her with a bone crushing hug, "Please take care of yourself, Konan. Please."

"I will, I promise." Konan replied and hugged her with the same intensity. They both stayed like that for sometime, sniffing on each other's shoulders and only broke the hug when they heard the sound of the door closing along with the sound of someone's feet padding down the road. "Still as patient as ever Ayame." Konan said and laughed along with Sakura.

"Here. I don't have any other thing to offer." Sakura said pathetically as she pushed a wad of cash into Konan's hands.

"Sakura! I said-" Konan said in a reprimanding tone.

"Don't take it as payment for your services. Just take it as a token of my happiness that you are safe and _will be_ safe." Sakura said quickly.

"But Sakura-"

"But nothing. I'm not taking it back. Do you have a cellphone number?"

"Yeah, but as you can see, there's no electricity here, so it dies once in a while."

"Okay. Give me your number please." Konan did and Sakura gave Konan her card.

"Ok then, Till we meet again. This isn't goodbye." She said as she hugged Konan quickly and dashed out of the house.

"Goodbye Sakura." Konan whispered and closed the door.

xxxxx

After she left Konan, she ran to meet up with Ayame by the car and she drove the two of them to the highway and dropped Ayame off at her junction. She was already on her way home when she remembered that she had forgotten to buy Sarada's snacks.

She did a U-turn and drove to a nearby supermarket to buy Sarada's butter coconut biscuit with a bottle of apple juice. She drove off after paying for the items.

She was really tired. All that crying had made her sleepy and she had to apply little touches of makeup to hide her almost swollen face. All that was left to do for the day was hang the tablet in maybe the closet since it was the most inconspicuous place in the house. The tablet itself wasn't hideous at all. It was a beautiful ornament and she could always take it to the living room any other day but not today, maybe the next week.

She checked her phone again, "Six minutes past twelve. I have been gone for roughly three hours. Have to cook something up before father hen gets on my case." She said as she made the last turn to her street. There was only one missed call on her phone, the call from Sasuke that she had so blatantly ignored. Also, there wasn't a single text message. She only sighed, put the phone aside and focused on the road in front of her.

 **Author's note:**

 **Honestly, this chapter wasn't all appealing to me. Someone had already known the Angel was Konan, Congrats to you! I wanted Konan to be the next psychic in the story since Anko had died. But seriously, I don't even know how I got Itachi tangled up in this. I just had to go with the flow and continue writing since I would be very busy to cancel what I had written.**

 **I didn't even know how to go about Sakura and Konan's session, so I made it quick. I got the idea of making Konan a psychic after many years of living a normal life, from my aunt, who is a spiritual person. She has a daughter who is in her youth. My aunt started her job when her daughter was around the age of eighteen or nineteen and she had not been into things of the spirit before. Mind you, I am talking of divination power relating to God. So I used that to help develop Konan's story.**

 **There'll be more sasusaku drama in the next chapter. So stay tuned.**


	8. Chapter 7

The walk to the front porch never felt so long. She had driven into the massive Uchiha compound, parked the dirty car and walked to the house. Sarada's snacks, all wrapped up in a small yellow polythene bag, was held in her left hand. She dragged her feet up the stairs on the front porch and got her key out of her purse to unlock the door, not really in the mood to knock and wait. She turned the knob, managed a small peek before stepping into the house.

No one was in the living room, dining room or even the kitchen, which was the reason why everywhere was as quiet as a graveyard. The television was switched on but was on mute, but other than that, everywhere was tranquil. She closed the door silently behind her and turned the lock, preparing to go to the kitchen to discard Sarada's snacks, when she saw a head popped out of nowhere from the leather couch in the parlor.

She jumped a little at the sudden movement but relaxed as soon as she saw who it was. Releasing a deep sigh, she clutched her chest willing her heart to stop its unnecessary thrumming. "Hey, you scared the-"

"Where have you been?" he got up to shoot her a full glare. She did not even flinch or show signs of fear or nervousness. She simply looked at the clock that hung on the wall before facing him square in the face.

"It's just 12 o'clock." She stated with tiredness buttered on her whole facade.

"That's not what I asked you." He grunted moving closer. Sakura heaved another sigh, not feeling the mood to start another fight after the short but long day she just had. Her eyes were still stinging, her legs felt like jelly after all the trekking and standing and her body was just as tired as her spirit. She had met someone that she thought was dead and had to leave her again. The most gruesome factor that contributed to her weariness and dispirited state was knowing most certainly that Konan would not be there the next time she wants to visit. She had given Konan her contact info all because she knew the woman would change her residence since she had been found out. Sakura was no fool after all. Amd after going through all this, she did not want to face Sasuke and start another cold war. They had to settle their differences soon but that soon was not now.

"But it's what I'm telling you. It's twelve, meaning that I'm home early." She walked to the dining table to drop what she was carrying. The raven haired man followed at a snail's pace and stood to wait to see what she would do to avoid the conversation.

The stairs came to view and how she longed to follow it's steps up to her freedom. That was her new initial plan that however, did not pull through as Sasuke clamped her arm. He did not let her go, did not let her have her way this time.

"Sakura, where did you go?"

She could feel the little anger in the question and for the umpteenth time in that day, she sighed, "Look Sasuke, I'm really tired and not in the mood for this. Like I told you this morning, I went to the hospital." It wasn't a lie at all. Uchiha-Haruno Sakura's mojo; using logic to cover the lie and toy with the truth. However, Sasuke knew her all too well and was one step ahead of her.

"Yes but where else did you go? You didn't stay long at the hospital, did you? Where are you coming from? Who did you see?" His height was towering and just as imposing.

Sakura moved a step backwards but couldn't go farther as a result of his vice-like grip on her arm. A frown marred her face at the magnitude of the question, "Is the third degree really necessary? What don't you understand by the sentence 'I was at the-"

"That's not what I was told when I called so stop telling me that crap." He spat. Shocked at his revelation, she could feel anger boiling up to a maximum within her.

"You called the hospital?" She spat out angrily, voice laced with venom.

"You haven't answered my ques-" he said with the same intensity.

"So what now, are you going to trace me with my fucking phone or put a tracker on me!?" She asked, her voice rising a bit. "I can't believe you," she shook her head in disgust. "First, you call me crazy and now, you keep tabs on me? What's next huh?"

"Now you're just trying to ignore the question. Where were you Sakura that you couldn't pick up your phone to answer my calls?" Something sparked in her eyes and Sasuke could see it clearly from the way he towered over her. He could also make out the little smudge of her eyeliner and the way her eyes were semi-puffy but he made no comment on that matter.

" _Your_ calls? Since when has a single missed call turned to many? I only saw one so stop making up stupid stories." She belted, yanking her arm from his grip rather roughly.

Sasuke chuckled with disbelief and anger painted on his face, "One call you say? I called five fucking times and you're telling me-"

"I can show you my phone if you like." She said icily.

"What the hell is your problem?"

"My problem? I'm not the spouse that finds stalking his partner a hobby!" she exclaimed.

"Would you keep it down? We're not the only people in this house." Taken aback, her eyes widened again with realisation. "Don't worry, she's asleep so she can't hear her parents _fighting_ again." Sasuke gestured as he talked to his now quiet wife. "Do you know what she asked me this morning? She asked if you were angry with me. She told me we haven't talked like we used to. Is that something she is supposed to say?"

Those words had weight. She pondered on telling him about Konan, not mentioning where she met her or the circumstances that took her to the place. Telling him that would surely put him off her case and it won't be lying at the same time.

She was pulled out of her stupor when two hands were placed on her shoulders. Raising her head, she gave room for her tired emerald eyes to clash with with a dejected pair of obsidian orbs. "All that I'm asking is... you know what, forget it. Just forget it." He dropped his hands. He was not like this. No one could ever bring him to this state and he would rather be beaten up black and blue before he lets anyone see him so downspirited. It was only one person that caused him such expression and that one person, being Sakura, was also the one that brought him out of it. He looked at her with eyes with spoke tiredness but feeling like a coward, she only looked at the floor. He ran his right hand through his dark raven hair and moved back from his imposing position. "Sakura, I am trying okay. I am trying to fix this, to fix us but I need you to cooperate. If you won't do it for us, then do it for Sarada."

Still, no reply from the woman.

She finally looked him in the eye and shruggingly she said, "I'm going upstairs."

"Sakura." He called out but the said woman never looked back. He went back to lie on the couch, still keeping his angry and crestfallen expression intact.

xxxx

The room was boiling hot, a personification of the day's name. The heat also did not help her situation. The air-conditioner was switched on and blasted to its highest but that did not seem to conquer the heat.

"I'm back!" a familiar voice announced. She and her little one rushed to the owner of the voice. The little one hugged the person while she just collected the polythene bag from his hand. "Welcome home dear. Is this it?"

"Yes. They said he should take it three times a day for a whole week. Is he still sleeping?" He asked and she nodded. "Ok, hi baby girl. Have you been taking care of your brother and mummy?" The little girl smiled and nodded excitedly.

"Daddy, Bowuto ee sweeping ee my woom." The three-year old blabbed.

"Really? Let's go check on him." Her father responded. He carried the girl to her room and just as she had said, her brother was sleeping on her bed. He went to the boy's side and placed a palm on his head. Still as hot as he had been the night before.

"Hinata! Bring the medicine already." He called out. The woman came into the room while stirring a cup. "Is he awake yet?"

"No-"

"Daddy?" Dull set of cerulean eyes looked at him.

"How are you feeling now, kid?" His father asked.

"Awful." he croaked.

"Bowuto ee awake. Mm on ma bed, sand up." The little girl jumped on her bed beside her brother and attempted to push him off.

"Himawari, behave yourself." Her mother scolded. "Boruto is sick, so don't do that." She tilted the cup, "Hopefully, this will break the fever."

"I don't want that." Boruto cried.

"But you have to take it so you won't feel awful again." His father explained but his stubborn son still shook his head and buried his face in his pillow. "C'mon just take it." He sighed.

A muffled reply, "Uh uh, mm not gonna."

After ten minutes of struggling, he finally ceded and drank the medicine in one gulp. Both his parents left him with his sister and went to the sitting room. "Naruto, are you going back to work today?" Hinata asked.

Naruto huffed frustratingly as he sat down, "Yeah, I have to prepare for the upcoming debate."

"Which means you won't be coming home as always." She nagged.

"Hinata, don't be like that. You know i will, it's just-"

"I don't like this Naruto. You know I hate politics, yet you still went on with it." She argued. "Something's bound to happen."

"I can assure you that nothing will happen."

"How can you be so sure. It's Danzo that you're up against! If nothing happens to you, who do you think will be the next target?" She said lovingly. "You need to take care of yourself and your family but you want to do the same to the whole country!"

"What are saying? That I should drop out when I've come so far? You've always supported me, why change now?"

"It's just... I don't know. It's too risky. Politics is a dirty game and I didn't know you'll go this deep." Naruto stood up and trapped her in the clutches of his embrace. "I just... I'm scared of what might happen to you, to the kids." she sighed into his embrace.

"It'll be alright. I promise."

xxxx

The keyboard typed in quick succession as she worked her fingers on it. She was currently in her office, Sasuke was at work and Sarada, in school. It was a nice tuesday noon and the air conditioner in the office was blasted to the fullest, giving a cool and refreshing environment. She relaxed on her recliner as the next page opened. Skimming through the new page with tge mouse, she clicked on the article that piqued her interest; Possible causes of haunted houses.

 _Parapsychologists attribute haunting to the spirits of the dead and the effect of violent or tragic events in the building's past such as murder, accidental death, or suicide. More scientific explanations for the perception that a house is haunted include misinterpreting noises naturally present in structures, waking dreams, suggestibility, and the effect of toxic substances in environments that can cause hallucinations._

 _Cold spots, creaking sounds, and odd noises are typically present in any home, especially older ones, and such noises can easily be mistaken for the sound of footsteps by those inclined to imagine the presence of a deceased tenant in their home._ "Hmmm nope." she read on. _Chronic exposure to substances such as carbon monoxide, pesticide, and formaldehyde can lead to hallucinations of the type associated with haunted houses._ Grumbling, she clicked on the return button. "This isn't what I'm looking for."

She had asked Sarada the previous day if she still saw Suki around and got the answer that made her happy. The tablet Konan had given her worked or was working but she still used her time to browse what would have caused the spirit to follow her family, particularly Sarada, all the way from the penthouse to the mansion. But the little assignment was proving fruitless since major of the articles including the Wikipedia itself, blamed everything on psychology. Time was of the essence and Konan had mentioned that the tablet might not ward Suki off completely. There might be retribution; and it feared her so badly. She and Sasuke were still not talking. Maybe the spirit was releasing lots of negative energy, maybe that was the main reason for their unending fights. While she was still surfing the net, an abrupt rapping sound came from her door followed by the sound of her aunt's voice.

"Come in." She quickly minimized the web browser and opened a medical textbook, faking seriousness.

"Ah I see you're busy." She took her seat opposite her niece.

Sakura laughed and closed the book. "It's something that can wait."

"I believe you have heard about the medical conference in Suna."

"Yes, I got the email yesterday." She nodded in reply and so also did Tsunade. "Do you need something?"

"Must I need something before I come see my favorite niece?" She leaned back with her arms folded.

"I'm your only niece." She smiled.

"Regardless, you must take me for a beggar or something. But it happens, since you hardly visit me so-"

"No aunt, it's not like that. It's just... things...uh with Sarada and the hospital has been hectic. But we'll come visit when there's time."

Tsunade eyed her skeptically and Sakura cowered a little under her scrutinizing gaze, something that her aunt caught at the time of it's doing. "What things?"

"Huh?"

"You said there are 'things' with Sarada. What type of things?"

Sakura blinked for a few seconds while unconsciously rubbing her hands. 'What things? what?' she thought, mentally cussing at herself for saying something so stupid. 'what should I tell her? what can I say? Oh my big mouth!'

Tsunade looked on before she waved her hand dismissively. "It's okay if you don't tell me. Maybe it's something you and your husband wants to keep from me. I don't mind." She shrugged but Sakura knew that act all too well.

"It's not like that Aunt Tsunade. Everything's alright."

But the woman did not react, just looked round the office with an eerie expressionless facade. "Hm. I've been hearing some things."

Her niece eyed her cautiously, "What things?" she carefully asked as she leaned on her table.

"Just things." The table had turned. Now she was the one that wanted to know. But knowing her aunt like she did, she could be pulling her legs for a fair trade; Tell me what you know and I'll tell you what I know. Childish. At least, that was what she thought until she saw the serious look on her face. The telltale game was usually done playfully with both of them having teasing smirks on their faces but her aunt was not playing now. Feeling the uncomfortable aura that her aunt was giving out, she shifted uncomfortably on her chair. "What is it?" she asked precariously.

"What's this I hear about you fainting and not making a deal out of it?"

Sakura relaxed upon hearing the question, thankful that it wasn't as serious as she had thought. "I just slipped and fell, that's all." She hiked her shoulders in a nonchalant manner.

"Hmmm, and then what? You come to the hospital the next day and go out with Ayame?"

The nervousness crept back, making her body hot in the cold room. "Who told you that?"

"Why? Were the staffs not allowed to see?"

Taking in a little breath, she relaxed and tried to maintain what little composure she could muster. "It's nothing."

Tsunade frowned. "It's nothing? Sakura, it's not nothing to say funny things after hitting your head and coming to see a hobo just after."

"Did Sasuke tell you this?" She retorted angrily. "Is that what he said?"

"Not Sasuke, Shizune." Placing her hands on the desk, she asked. "Sakura, what's going on. And why was Ayame so important?"

"Why does everyone keep talking like I can't handle myself?" She replied hotly, drawing her aunt aback. "You, Sasuke, Aunt Shizune. You all ask questions as if I'm crazy."

"It's not that Sakura-"

"Then what is it? Is it because of Ayame? Is she not a human being?"

"She is but not a sane one."

"And the hospital hired her as insane as she was-" She stated with unadulterated sarcasm.

"Yes, to sweep and clean. She lives off the money we pay her."

"Point is, she still works here and in the ICU floor no less." Sakura replied stubbornly.

"Sakura!" She snapped, "What do you think other people will insinuate when they see you talking to her?"

"And it is their business because?" Her eyes squinted with rage. Her mind raced, trying to recollect and see what started their little argument. Everyone seemed to want to get it from her.

Backing up a little, something came to her mind. That look, that disbelieving attitude and all too familiar reproach. _It's not nothing to say funny things after hitting your head._ Funny things. It was all too clear. Sasuke had told Shizune and she in turn had told her aunt. They all had the same impression of her.

She released a bitter chuckle.

"You are just like them." She remarked in a low murmur. The woman with the blonde hair did a double take, gone was her angered persona and in its place was a sad and hurt counterpart. "Sakura, what do you mean?" But her heart dropped when she saw her niece shaking with tears. Abruptly, she stood up and ran to hug her but the woman wouldn't allow. "You're like him too. You all think I'm insane and you're ganging up on me now huh?" Her behavior was really disturbing and Tsunade could not believe it. Sakura had still not yielded in her aunt's embrace. "Let go."

"Sakura-"

"It's okay if you don't believe me. I'm used to it already." But she finally relented after the whole struggle. Tsunade hugged her tighter than she had ever done before and also felt salty beads of tears trickle fown her face. This was a serious case and no one would have ever thought it could have reached this depth. Running her fingers through a bush of pink locks, she prayed silently for what had just transpired to be a dream, one that would not make it to reality. For being a doctor herself, cases like this were not new in the psychiatric department and knowing that her niece might inevitably join the same department was dreading.

_

" _... I'm just like you, you're just like me. There's somewhere else we'd rather be. Somewhere that's ours, somewhere that dreams come true..."_

"Gah!" Sarada exclaimed agonisingly. Nothing could help the feeling -that ravaged her, for jumping the girl that sat on the floor in front of her, gripping onto the remote like it was what mattered the most in her life. "Sumire, change the station please."

The girl simply ignored her and paid no heed to her friend's agitated state. "No." She said shortly. "Barbie is a biggy in school and I don't want to miss out on any."

Sarada, defeated, beheld Chocho who was seated beside her, for support but the deep chocolate complexioned girl spared her no glance. At the hike of a brow, she questioned, "Won't you say something?"

With immediate effect, Chocho set uninterested gold eyes on the little Uchiha and said briefly, "I'm hungry."

"You're - Didn't you just eat not so long ago?" She sighed into the chair in frustration. "Sumire, please reduce the volume."

The purple haired girl did no such thing. Only stared, mesmerized at the program on the television.

"I'll tell my mum on you." Sarada threatened, moving Sumire into action.

"You're not fair, Sara." Sumire retaliated.

"Is your mum in the kitchen?" Chocho inquired, walking out of the parlor.

Sarada traced her friend, stopping her from going farther. "No." She stressed. "She is upstairs, sleeping, I think."

Groaning, Chocho came back to her former position. "And when will your Dad get back?"

Plucking a cushion pilow from its resting place, she breathed. "Soon, around six."

Her friend's eyes sparkled. "Is he bringing any cookies?"

"Cookies?"

"Yes, cookies. Sometimes, he brings them from work -"

The brunette mellowed, "Yes, mostly for mama."

Chocho noticed her downcast mien and asked. "What's wrong, Sarada?"

Her parents had not talked much since... mostly since her mother moved to her room and she didn't know why. The house was somehow lonely because, in a way, she did all the talking. She had no sibling to share stories with, only busy parents who were always tired from work. She had pleaded with them to let her friends over from school. Boruto would have been included if he wasn't sick and absent in school.

Shaking her head, she smiled appealingly. "Nothing. I'm just bored."

Sumire snorted, "Then go play with Suki and stop disturbing."

"Hey, you are the one disturbing _me._ " She retorted, before adding snidely. "in my own house. And I don't know where Suki went."

She rushed the last part while shaking her head with eyes closed. Chocho sighed, relieved that she would not be on the receiving end of Sarada's doll-battering speech today. "What do you mean you don't know where she went?"

Shrugging, Sarada replied, "Normally, she doesn't follow me out of the house because she does not like outside. But we play a lot in the house." Frowning thoughtfully, she stated. "I have not seen her since."

However, nobody was paying attention. Sumire had her eyes glued on the television while Chocho, blatantly ignored her, feeling her mind with a lovely banquet of food just awaiting her in her wildest dreams.

But the person whom did not ignore her stood at the mouth of the staircase, brows knitted like her daughter's.

She didn't know what to call strange again. The fact that their house was haunted or her daughter was friends with the spirit that haunted them or that they were no longer haunted. Weird!

She had picked Sarada from school, along with the other girls, fed them and hit the bed. And now she was hungry and the thought of Sasuke coming home with cookies was stomach-churning.

Speaking of which, the door opened to produce the person whom had flooded her thoughts few seconds ago. They locked eyes before she disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the kids to handle the welcome.

Night reached and she was in her study after dinner, working on some paperwork for the hospital and in regards to the medical conference that was to be held the next month. Her door produced a rapping sound and she beckoned whoever it was that knocked into her office.

The knob turned and the door grunted as Sasuke walked in and closed it afterwards. Putting her paperwork away, she murmured a brief inaudible greeting which he grunted in reply to. "Is there anything you need?"

He did not say a word and he ensured his silence would make her look at him. And it did. "I'm really busy." She shook her head expectantly and hunched her back and shoulders, wanting him to get the memo and make his intentions known quickly. He just stood aloofly, with a hand in his pocket.

Sighing, she continued. "Look, Sasuke. I've had a rough and stressed day, so save me some of yours too." But he did not falter, just continued observing her with fathomless eyes.

Reaching her limits she gestured in irritation. "What?"

"Hn." he shifted in his stance.

"That is not an answer."

"You have a conference?" He demanded with a cool candor. She hadn't looked shocked or surprised so he guessed she never saw it as that big of a deal. "I figured I'd be the one to ask."

"I just got the mail last night." She responded. Her eyes mimed an interrogating slant. "How did you know though? Did Aunt Tsunade tell you?"

"No." His gaze averted hers.

"Then I guess it was aunt Shizune." She demurely said. "Ah, so you and Shizune now share a lot of words in more ways than one huh?"

"What?" His eyes swiveled back to hers in confusion.

Her drilling gaze remained unfazed. "How much do you two discuss?" She leaned her cheek on upturned palm, elbow propped on the desk.

"Sakura, stop it."

"Stop what?" she asked innocently. "I never said anything."

"Stop looking for reasons to antagonize."

"And who said anything about fighting. I've tired of it for sometime now." Getting back to work, she whispered words that did not go unheard by her husband. "It's not like there was a strong reason to."

The knob turned and a sleepy Sarada walked in. "Mama, let's go to bed."

Looking at Sasuke, she called her over and explained that she had work to do but then Sarada, strangely, insisted on staying with her in the study. For some reason, she sounded as if she didn't want to be left alone. "Are you still going to stay with me for the night."

Chuckling and unsure of where she was going with this, Sakura nodded. "Okay baby. Let me pack some things then we'll go to _your_ room so I can continue while you sleep, okay?"

She meekly nodded.

Sasuke sourly stood, watching. Was everybody running from him now? Sarada regarded him with tired sleepy eyes before once again, turning to her mother. He had left her in the sitting room, sleeping and came to the study, trying to tell his wife that he had thoughts of taking their daughter to their own room for the night but the little girl already had plans of her own even while she slept. Excusing himself quietly, he walked out of the study while Sakura examined his back with placation.

Now she had more work on her hands, with handling a clingy daughter as the most interesting.

\--*-*--

It was dark. The lights were off and the night showered moonlight on the exterior of the house, penetrating a little inside.

Her door was open, a little bit, allowing cool breeze to oscillate the entire room, darting into her skin like ice, raising the skin on her arm to form nasty-looking pimples. She noticed, to her heart's agitation, that she was alone in the dark, alone in her room.

She knew it wasn't on impulse, but her body felt compelled to move, to move to the door and out in the dark hallway. And move, she did. Walking barefoot on the cold tiles, not minding that it increased the goosebumps on her skin.

Her vision was impaled by the coughing dark but she still moved to where her instinct directed. Coming to a stop at the top of the stairs, she saw something on the floor. Something limp. Stealthily, she descended, eyes gawking at the figure on the floor and on getting close, her breath hitched and involuntary water poured from her eyes.

Lying on the floor in a less than gracious position was not a thing but a person, one she knew like no other. The figure was sprawled out on the floor and a dark liquid surrounded it. Standing directly in front of the figure, she noticed something.

It was blood.

Thick and deep hue of red, splashed on the floor and still running from whatever opening it came from. Shaking furiously, she whispered sharply, the name of the person she towered over.

"Mama."

Then something she had not noticed since she saw her mother on the floor. A tall figure amidst the dark and few feet away from her mother's body. Summoning enough courage, she did what she should have done the minute she was in her room.

She screamed.


	9. Chapter 8

Here's a new update. A big thank you to all that added this story to their library. I hope this story still catches your fancy.

CHAPTER 8

 _Paralyzed in the icy dark, she tried many times to move, to see, to feel anything. But the darkness granted her no permission - only sucked on her against her will. She stretched out her hands, at least she she felt her body did something._

 _Regardless, nothing greeted her except the black hue. Her outstretched hands were just as distant as her body felt. She moved her feet, trying to march solid ground. Yet, it yielded no good result. Conclusively, she was in her own nightmare. Floating in whatever limbo this place was._

 _Once more, with awoken strength, she pushed against the nothing she could sense. Struggling in vain in the void._

 _Was it a dream?_

 _Was any of it real?_

 _She pondered and thrashed unseeingly. Then out of nowhere, a deep sinking feeling engulfed her insides as panic set in. She didn't know anything about this place. All she knew was that she was floating, withering in the dark._

 _Soon after, goosebumps pricked the flesh of her skin. It crawled all the way from her head. The constant pounding sound of her heartbeat flooded her ears as the dark suddenly became icy. It was cold._

 _She was cold._

 _And she...was scared._

 _The sinking feeling in her guts elevated when she fell. It was dark, yet she could tell- by the way her body felt heavy- that she was falling. Gravity pulled her not so graciously. In her moment of unrest, she found herself landing on solid ground, in a puddle of water. Of black water._

 _It rippled with her weight. Her feet were wet but she couldn't see it. Only sensed it._

 _A thread of hope was woven around her when she heard something. A voice; far, distant but there. Turning in a frenzy in all directions, she searched. She searched for that voice. Soon, the voice sounded closer, comforting and warmly._

 _"Sarada." The distant sound of the familiar voice called out. That name had a nice tone to it. But it was vaguely familiar._

 _She tried to talk to that voice. Opening her mouth with every intention to pour out what her mind had arranged for speech. Just then, it hit her. She mouthed her words, but nothing came out. Her voice was one with the dark quiet._

 _"Sarada."_

 _The voice called out once more. Panic-stricken, she ran. Ran towards the place she felt was the source of the voice._

 _"Sarada!"_

 _This time, the call was more urgent. The voice was desperate. A crippling sensation quipped her nerves when something dawned on her. The voice came from all directions. It caught her in a circle, enveloping her in the blackness. She stopped in her tracks. Confused, she looked around her. Had she not cupped her face to escape this mess, she wouldn't have noticed the watery substance that flowed from her eyes._

 _She was in tears._

 _Crying because of the dark. Crying because she yearned to meet that voice. And crying because she didn't have her own voice._

 _But a miracle happened. A small light penetrated the darkness. As small as a dot, it was. But its radiance was enough to light up a huge portion of the environment. It was enough to light a little fire of hope within her._

 _Seconds later, the dot of light became blotches of white. White coloured the scenery. She soon found her bearing, running as the field cleared for her._

 _That was until she stopped. Until a horrid sight stopped her. Down the path she has been heading, something limp laid sprawled on the floor. The white floor was tainted with a red hue._

 _From her rooted spot, few paces aware from the scene, the limp body seemed awfully familiar. On getting closer, it struck her._

 _The woman with pink hair._

 _"Mama?"_

 _She finally managed to speak. Her heart pounded; her throat itched. A big lump formed at the base of her throat when she took a closer look at the slumped figure. It was her mother._

 _Horrified, she screamed._

 _"MAMA!"_

 _As if that was the scary part. Something else, a shadow, fell upon her and the figure on the floor. From the silhouette on the floor, the figure behind her was imposing and sinister. She turned, enough to get a peek of the imposing figure, just to freeze._

 _Her blood ran cold. Goosebumps, once again, played on her skin. She knew that face. She had seen that face...but on a smaller body. Her breath hitched, eyes widened a fraction as she stared._

 _"Suki?"_

At that moment, she was harshly dragged out of her slumber. A very terrible slumber that had given her that nightmare. The images were still vivid in her memory. Beads of sweat caked her face as she calmly regained her breath.

Unlike the last time she had opened her eyes, when the world was undescribably dark, this time, she stared unseeingly at the ceiling, trying to remember where she was. The white ceiling looked familiar.

She sat up, taking note of her environment. It was her room, she concluded. She had remember climbing into bed to sleep last night. With her mama. Images of the dream she had flashed into her mind. With wide eyes, she turned to the side where her mother had laid the previous night.

Only to find a rumpled space with no mother in sight. Scared, she jumped down from her bed and padded out of her room, in search of her mother.

The door to the master's bedroom was open. She saw Sasuke, who was in the process of knotting his tie. Upon seeing his daughter, standing by the door while rubbing at her eye, he beckoned her inside. "Sarada."

"Papa. Where's Mama?" She asked not beating around the bush. Sasuke saw just how sleepy she looked. The discarded greeting was of little to no concern to him.

"Are you okay, Sarada?" He moved to the little girl, taking her hand away from the lone eye she had been rubbing.

"Mmm." She hummed monotonously, nodding that she was okay. "Where's Mama?"

"She's in the kitchen."

The reply was supported by a mild ruckus from the kitchen. Leaving a confused and worried Sasuke alone, she ventured towards the kitchen. "Mama?" She called out with a shaky voice, still shaken up from her nightmare and morning dizziness. It was still dark outside. She wasn't sure of the time. But judging from the way her father was dressed, it should be five in the morning. Regardless, the mansion was still lit up.

"Mama!" She called out more urgently. "Where are you?"

"Sarada?" Sakura answered, uncertainty laced in her tone. She came out of the kitchen, still clad in her nightwear. Upon seeing her daughter, she walked up to where she stood at the entrance, bending to her height. "Honey, is everything okay? I'm making breakfast for you and your Papa. I was gonna wake you up soon after but here you are."

Sarada's mouth remained clamped. All her heart could feel was relief. Her mother was in front of her. In the flesh.

There was no blood. No form of lifelessness in her. She was safe. She was okay. To Sakura's surprise, her daughter caught her in an embrace. Her vice-like grip around her neck was disturbing. She had gotten up so early this morning, had greeted her husband and moved to the kitchen, bustling around to get their breakfast, and lunch for the afternoon, ready. Sarada had been sound asleep when she left her, but from the looks of it, her small daughter looked shaken up about something. Out in the corner of her eye, she saw Sasuke, folding the sleeves of his white shirt with less focus that was necessary. He also shared the same look with her. Curiosity, concern and worry marred his face as he looked at the scene in front of him.

The gut feeling he had when he saw his daughter was undoubtedly true. Something bothered her. And even Sakura clearly saw it.

"Sarada, what's wrong? You're scaring me." Sakura questioned, not hiding the worry in her voice.

"Where did you go? I didn't see you. I was looking for you." Sarada murmured silently into her mother's neck. Her voice was soft with a faint hint of tremor in it.

"I was... in the kitchen. Are you feeling hurt anywhere?" Sakura broke the embrace, medical and mother hen instinct kicking in. She placed her palm on her daughter's pale forehead, checking for the right temperature. "Does your tumny hurt? Do you feel sick?"

"No mama. I'm okay. I just got scared when I didn't see you in bed with me. I thought you left me." She mumbled quietly.

"I'm here, sweetie. Mama will always be here, okay?"

Sasuke only stood quietly. Looking worriedly at the two of them. He didn't understand what was happening or why it was happening. Sarada had always been a brave girl, but to see her shaken up just because she felt alone in her room, just because Sakura had left her for a little while, was unnerving.

Faintly, he wanted to believe Sakura. That it was indeed true that something sinister lurked in his daughter's room. That his daughter felt it. That he's daughter was scared of it.

But what did that mean to him?

He was never one that believed in superstitions or in things related to the spiritual. He was a realist, he told himself time and again. Was that the reason why he never felt anything?

Silently, he pondered before noticing that Sakura had led Sarada upstairs to get her ready for school.

*

*

*

"Mama, promise you'll come pick me up." Sarada requested as her mother helped her with her schoolbag.

After ensuring that it hung perfectly on the little girl's back, she handed her lunch bag to her. "I'll try, baby. But if I can't make it, I'll call your Papa, okay?"

She handed Sasuke his own lunch pack, adjusting his tie when he accepted it.

Sarada beckoned her mother over, dragging her down to her level. Landing a quick peck on her mother's rosy cheek, she beamed. "Okay mama." Sasuke sauntered to the door with Sarada on his trail. He stopped at the door, turning to his wife. "What time will you be done at the hospital?"

"I don't know. Maybe by two in the afternoon. Don't worry, if I can't pick Sarada up, I'll call you."

"Okay. Bye."

Sarada waved, cheerful. "Bye Mama."

"Bye dear. Love you."

"Love you too."

.

.

.

.

 _"C'mon Sakura. It'll be fun, trust me."_

"Well, if you put it like that. How can I not say no?"

 _"My, that's mean."_

"I have trust issues with you, Ino. I'm not going. The hospital needs me."

 _"Take a break, would ya? The hospital can survive without you. Heck, if there was a fire, they wouldn't remember your name. Aunt Tsunade's got your back."_

I tried on my black flats, my neck hooking the phone with my shoulder. I was all set and ready to move. Only problem now is that Ino suddenly had the urge to get on my case. "Ino, it's futile. I'm going to work and not to whatever restaurant you want to try."

 _"You're no fun, Forehead. Don't be surprised when Sasuke leaves because of your workaholism."_ Ino whined.

"What was that? That guy is more of a workaholic than I'll ever be."

She asked sourly, _"So, you'll leave him?"_

"What! No! You're spouting nonsense, pig."

I checked myself out in the mirror. My cream and ash polka dot pencil gown hugged my body quite alright. One more touch was needed and I'll be on my way. Sasuke's cologne and bodyspray was tempting. But I couldn't risk him knowing that I used his property. I didn't want him to know that I missed his scent. The whole of our room reeked of it.

Ino's incessant voice rang in my ears as I sprayed my perfume on my body.

 _"Hey, you know what?"_

"What?"

 _"This topic will be great if we sat down at the restaurant I suggested to delibate on it."_ She said a-matter-of-factly.

"Goodbye, Ino."

" _Sakura_." She sulked, pleading. _"We have to catch up. I have nothing to do now."_

"We'll catch when we both have spare time."

 _"But Sakura-"_

"Bye, Ino." She ended the transmission. She knew, for a fact, that if she hadn't ended it, that blonde friend of hers would've poked at her to no end.

She really wanted to get out of the house, into her car and out if this compound. Through the long sleeves of her gown, she could feel a foreign chill on it. Closing the door behind her, she walked down the halkway, heading for the stairs. All of a sudden, an icy wave hit her.

It was so sudden that she did not have the time to think. The hair on her arms stood underneath her clothing. Her heart was beginning to beat at an abnormal rhythm. Suddenly, her throat was clogged up. Stopping in her tracks, her head turned to the back, to the source of that breeze.

 _Could that be because of the rain?_

 _Does rain want to fall?_

She thought quietly to herself. Nothing about this event being strange had crossed her mind. It all the more pressed her to leave. Quickly.

After checking and making sure that her back was clear, she proceeded her descent from the stairs.

Her biggest mistake.

Her ears caught the mighty howl of a wind. Her neck pricked with flame. She noticed something in the short span of time.

There was a presence.

Right behind her.

At the spot that she had obviously just pronounced was clear.

That was the only thing she was given the leisure of time to register before it all happened. With a powerful force, she felt hot pressure on her back. The world tilted from the tip of the stairs where she stood. A whirlwind of emotions hit her.

"Aaagh" She managed to voice out before the rest of the world tumbled at her face.

Her body ached. She knew what was happening, what had caused it, she sensed it. But could do nothing to stop it; nothing to stall it. She was rolling down the stairs, steered by a blinding force that she's never felt her entire life.

She tumbled until her brain could not take it anymore. None of her body parts could take it anymore. The world was already a murky shadow before she literally hit rock bottom.

.

.

.

.

The sound was deafening. Just what he needed today! If a broken mug in the afternoon signified something, Sasuke thought that he'll like to know after which he'll not give a flying hoot.

Unbelievable! He thought. Now, he attributed the smallest of things to superstitious beliefs. The headaches from home and workload on his desk was more than enough to crank up a vein or two on his face. But he had to add his spilled coffee and broken mug to the list.

"Just great!" He muttered angrily at the broken ceramic.

His slender assistance, Kiva, plodded in on cue to clean the mess, telling him that she'll get another cup of coffee for him.

Sadly, his mouth twitched in a mild sneer. He had grown attached to that mug. That was because Sakura got it for him as a gift for his office-warming.

His head pounded again when he thought of his wife.

"Wow, the Uchiha Sasuke's sulking 'cause he broke his favorite mug?" The irritating voice of Naruto swarmed the room. He mocked, smiling as he took the seat opposite Sasuke. "That's a first. What's bothering you?"

"I'm busy, Naruto."

"Obviously!" He interjected. "I can plainly see it in your face how busy you are crying over spilt milk. Out with it, dude."

Kiva left the room, giving them privacy. Sasuke closed his eyes, arranging his thoughts to know what to say. Where could he start?

Time passed as he explained the whole situation to his friend; about Sakura's weird behavior, their fight and everything else that bothered him concerning Sarada.

"Wow." Naruto breathed, his eyes wide with incredulity. "This is crazy, Sasuke. What are we gonna do? Has she started telling these things to Sarada?"

"I don't know." Sasuke reclined in his seat, pinching the temple between his closed eyes.

"Does Tsunade know about this?"

"Aa." He replied.

"Do you think...she needs help?" He ventured, knowing how deadly the topic was. Surprisingly, Sasuke seemed to think about it. He eyed Naruto with scrutiny, dark brows drawn togather in thought.

"She doesn't think she does."

"Well, what do you think?"

"I don't know, Naruto." He admitted. "I remember the last time I got her a psychiatrist. She was really mad."

"Sasuke, people dropped off at the mental hospital aren't always giddy about it. If this stuff persists, you have my vote on getting her a shrink or taking her to the hospital."

"And think of Sarada." Naruto continued. "If Sakura starts feeding Sarada these things, it won't be good. She's still growing up."

Sasuke put all that was said into consideration. Naruto and Kakashi had always been the people that he turned to for advice. Not necessarily Naruto, but there are times that his words had meaning. Just like now. But was he sure of this decision. For whose sake will he take the bold step?

For Sarada's? For his? Or for Sakura's?

It was a good forty minutes past one. No call from Sakura, meaning that she had picked Sarada up from school. His mind was swept up once again by his thoughts before Naruto's voice rang clear.

"You can do all that I've said...or believe her."

The confusion on Sasuke's face prompted him to elaborate. "Can you remember that movie we watched in high school. Out-kast. About that teenage mute that saw the ghost but couldn't talk to people about it because of his disability."

Sasuke hiked an eyebrow at him, knowing fully well where the conversation was headed. "You want me to indulge her?"

"All I'm saying is, there could be small truth to what Sakura has been saying, feeling.. sensing. Whatever the word is. Sakura's my friend, and I know for a fact that she can fight this post-partum depression. But I don't think she'll drag something like this for a long time."

"Naruto, she brought in a spiritualist. To our house. When Sarada was still a baby."

"What I meant was-"

The Uchiha cut him off. "She fainted, fought with me and has been going on secret missions, for what? For a 'demoness' that only she can sense?"

"Sasuke -"

"No Naruto. You don't understand. I've tolerated this issue for too long." Kiva walked in with Sasuke's new cup of lukewarm coffee in hand. Naruto waited until she excused herself to deliver what he had to say.

"You're talking as if you've given up, Sasuke." The Uchiha grunted, reclining to a defeated mess on his chair. "Sakura's my friend too. It hurts me just as much as it hurts you. But if push comes to shove, you'll have to do the right thing to help her."

And by doing the right thing, he meant getting her professional help from a psychiatrist. That meant that Sasuke would have to admit to Sakura that he didn't think she was sane. That he was one of the people that called her crazy, just as she had speculated.

The light vibration on his desk drew his out of his reverie. It was his phone. He picked the device, slightly confused about the name of the caller. Naruto eyed him with knitted golden eyebrows. "Who's calling?"

Sasuke glanced at his friend. "Sarada's class teacher."

"Mr Shino?" Naruto asked, his queasy expression receding.

Sasuke nodded in affirmation as he answered the call and brought his phone to his ear. "Hello?"

 _"Good afternoon. Am I speaking with Mr. Uchiha."_ That gravelly voice undoubtedly belonged to Shino.

"Yes. How may I help you?"

 _"I'm Mr Aburame, Sarada's class teacher. I just wanted to inform you that_ _school closed about an hour ago and nobody has come to claim your daughter."_

Unbridled emotions fought within him: mostly worry and confusion. "What?" He intoned silently, although there was a hint of anger in his voice. Had Sakura gone to another bizarre place that she had forgotten to pick Sarada up? That she had forgotten that she would've called him to fetch her? Had she lost track of time?

Naruto clearly smelled the anger on his features. With careful blue eyes, he whispered. "What? What's wrong, Sasuke?"

 _"Your daughter is here with a few kids. The other kids are in my care but I wanted to be sure about Sarada."_

"Anything wrong with Sarada?" Naruto asked again, this time receiving a negative from Sasuke.

"My wife was supposed to pick her up. But I'll do it."

" _Okay. Good day, sir_." Then he ended the transmission.

"Sakura forgot to pick her up?" Naruto asked, rising to his feet, mirroring his friend's movements. It wasn't difficult to tell the anger in his quiet exterior.

"Looks like it." He brought out his phone, dialling Sakura's number. It rang, but she didn't pick up. Awfully, he had a sense of déjà vu. This was not the first time such a thing happened.

Naruto followed him to the door. What good was he in an office that did not belong to him. "And Boruto didn't go to school. Hinata would've picked Sarada up."

"Either way, I'm going to pick her." He muttered as he left the office with Naruto in suit.

"I'm going with you."

Sakura had a lot to answer and should better have an excuse for this.

 **Author's note**

Short chapter, eh? Bear with me, please. But what happened to Sakura? Who knows. However, you what Sasuke knows? He's gonna give Sakura a piece of his mind when they see in the next chapter.

So, tune it. To be honest, I just want people to read the story and drop comments, everything else like voting or liking...whatevs, is secondary.

Shun ghost reading. A critical reader is a fun reader.

Happy reading ; )


	10. Chapter 9

Happy Sunday folks! Just wanted to drop this here. Thank you all for your amazing reviews. It means a lot to me. You can also check out my other story **'Crimson Summer'.** It's an AU fic like this one that's in need of an audience.

 **CHAPTER 9**

 _Descending_ _like a cascade, down the stairway in elevated steps- her long kimono covering her feet, she espied the creature that laid cold on the tiled bloodied floor. It's face was half-concealed with red hue, blood-stained tresses plastered on the red canvas that was her face._

 _Maybe she had gone too far; maybe she had exerted too much force. But she could have sworn that she held back... she really held back._

 _'Weaklings!' She thought to herself. Mortals are weaklings. If just a scratch of her power, in this her weakened state, could cause this thing such a misfortune; could end this soul, she could do nothing but imagine what she would be capable of when she regained out-and-out strength._

 _The mere thought of it was enticing._

 _Willing it, she activated her visual prowess- netted veins popped out of both sides of her face, crawling to her pearly orbs, enhancing her sight. Her pearly eyes beheld the limp figure with scrutiny. Looking beyond the physical frame to the parts that no human eye can ever dream of seeing._

 _Poor human. It's fate was sealed the very day she laid eyes on it._

 _Reveling in vainglory, her red lips masked a senile smirk. It was a clean job. The circumstances were favourable._

 _She saw it. She saw that glow. Very faint._

 _Very weak._

 _Her job, at the moment, was complete. Because, just before her eyes, it quenched._

 _The fire that lit up this soul had been extinguished. A mortal life had ended._

 _Stealthily, she reclined. Leaving the cold scene at her wake_.

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His black Benz zoomed out of the parking lot, alighting on the highway. He took his time to arrange his thoughts. Sarada was in safe hands for the meantime. But what about Sakura? Where had she run off to again?

 _"You sure she's not at the hospital? She told me she was on her way there when we talked this morning."_ Ino's light voice vibrated from the phone on loudspeaker.

It was a big feat, on his part - one that was worthy of commendation, to suppress his anger. His patience had run dry. The fact that Sarada was still in school was not what ate him. It was Sakura's whereabouts that frustrated him. Not knowing where she was made him livid.

Of course, he had no doubt that she was not a cheater. She was as faithful as a servant could be. The messy thing about the situation is that he knew where she had ventured to. He knew the kind of place she would have dared to thread.

How could he not know? She had pulled a stunt like this before and they had had another fight because of it.

But to think that she'd had neglected Sarada, their daughter.

The little girl might be sick for all they knew, judging from the way she acted this morning. Subconsciously, his hands tightened around the steering wheel. Yet, this did not pass his notice.

"I called the hospital. They told me that she didn't show up today. Her car didn't even touch the parking lot."

 _"Have you called Aunt Tsunade or Shizune? Maybe they know something."_

Running, his hand through his dark silky hair, he hissed in controlled anger. "I could only reach Shizune. She said Tsunade should be resting now from her night shift and that she hasn't heard from Sakura. She hasn't returned my calls or answered any."

Naruto drove swiftly behind him. With all these happening, he planned on being with Sarada. The raging heap Sasuke was turning to would burst the minute he sees Sakura and he would not like Sarada to witness such a thing. He believed Sasuke was trying his best to control his rage, and he did that excellently, but what would happen the minute he had had enough of it. Sakura would have a lot to answer from this time. But something didn't add up. He had joined Sasuke, dialling every number of people he knew that was acquainted to Sakura, but she didn't pick up. If she was ignoring Sasuke's calls, it's highly impossible that she'll do the same to every other person. If she indeed had a secret agenda, it will be bothersome and suspicious of her to ignore all her calls, wouldn't it?

Sasuke was way ahead of him. His eyes were on the road but his mind was somewhere else.

 _"Sasuke, don't you think that she might be in danger or something?"_ Ino asked, worried. _"Sai just tried her number too and she didn't pick. If everyone has been calling her, there is no way that she'll ignore all her calls. I'm worried, Sasuke."_

Sasuke's creased forehead relaxed a little. What Ino said was a probability. Why hadn't he thought of that? He had gotten so angry and worked up over the fact that Sakura might have gone to a shady place, seeking shady answers to her stupid imaginations.

The thought that she might be in trouble never crossed his mind. That's because he never imagined Sakura landing into an accident. He trusted her sense of self-assurance that much. And if he thought about it, Sakura would never compromise Sarada's safety. Their daughter was the very reason why they've had fights in the past. In addition, she had stressed on picking her up from school and had even mentioned a plan B if an engagement had made her unavailable to keep her own end of the bargain.

"Ino, you said she was at home the last time you guys talked?"

 _"Yes. She said she was leaving."_

That was all the information he needed before he ended the transmission and dialled the last number he had in his arsenal.

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.

.

"Papa, what took you so long to get me." Sarada whined, exhausted as her father buckled her up in the back seat of Naruto's car.

"I'm sorry, peanut." He pleaded, clearly having no excuse to give her. After ensuring she was secured in the seat belt, he ruffled her hair a bit before closing the door.

Naruto walked towards the Uchiha after talking to Shino concerning Boruto's absence in school. "You called Roku? What did he say?" Naruto enquired, smiling at the pouting Sarada through the window.

"He never opened the gates for Sakura. He said she never even left the house, her car's still there." Roku, his security officer, had sworn that he never saw a flash of pink since he'd been on duty. This was one of the times that he'd listen to that man. His drunken tactics was high up the ranks but when he figured that his boss wasn't in the mood and that a showcase of his tardiness would put his job on the line, abstinence would always be a virtue to him.

If Sasuke trusted his judgement, like he did oftentimes, it wouldn't be a fair decision to take Sarada home just yet. "I'm going home to confirm. Drop Sarada at your place. I'll fetch her later."

"But Boruto's sickness." Naruto countered.

"Then drop her off at Ino's. I don't know what to expect when I get home but I don't want her to witness anything out of the ordinary."

And by out of the ordinary, he meant the inevitable fight they'd have if he caught her alive and well or if she was in a potential state that, indeed, left her compromised.

He opened the back door, bending to see his daughter, "Sarada, I still have some work to do. Uncle Naruto will drop you at Aunt Ino's place, okay?"

Sarada, visibly frowning, nodded. "Can Mama pick me up?"

Swallowing invisible spit, he rocked on the balls of his feet. "I don't know, Sarada. She might still be busy at the hospital."

Frowning, in controlled anger, she conceded. "Okay Papa."

Closing the door, he hurdled a trustful look at Naruto. The Uzumaki nodded a little in understanding, but placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, stopping him before he moved to his car. "Sasuke, take it easy. No matter what happens, don't be too hard on her. If anything comes up, call me."

"Hn." Sasuke gave a faint nod, casting one last peek at his daughter before leaving for his car. Praying silently for all to be well.

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.

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The light spoiled her vision, everything within range blurred.

Her big house was barely enough to contain her apprehension. Her dull eyes closed again, heart pounding abnormally as she thought about it once more.

An awful smarting swarmed her stomach. She was in no condition near good. Suddenly, she felt sick.

Dropping her glass of wine on the table, she reclined. Relaxing on her couch. She had left the hospital very late at night, had slept so little, eaten so little and had settled for a glass of wine. Only that she felt sick to her stomach. Irrationally.

Unbidden, she recalled the last time she had spoken to the one person that caused her this agitation. The deep pits of her stomach churned at the recollection of how violently she had reacted to her allegations, how her symptoms clearly matched those of the select few patients she had in mind.

She'd have to see Sasuke to hear his own side of the story. Later, not now. Now, she had chosen a nice position on her couch and did not have any intention of changing till sleep beckons.

Of course, not all things go as planned. A rap on the door made her amber eyes flutter open. Who could that be? She thought groggily, groaning as the light attacked her eyes. Not rising from her spot on the couch, she wished that the knock on the door would go away, she wished that her unexpected visitor would go away. She wasn't in the mood to interact today, not until her shift in the night.

Still, as fate will have it, the knock persisted - gentle and mild. Heaving a heavy sigh, she stood up, marched to the door and opened it. She was taken by a mild surprise, her irritated facade clearing.

"Hello, Miss Tsunade." The gruff voice greeted. "Hope I'm not disturbing you."

Beckoning the person into her house, she smiled. "Mebuki. It's been long. Come in."

Pleased, Mebuki sighed, making herself comfortable on the couch. "This place hasn't changed a bit."

Tsunade sat beside her. "You haven't changed a bit." Holding out the bottle of wine to her guest, she asked, "Wine?"

"If I haven't changed, then you'd know about my intolerance when it comes to alcohol." Mebuki remarked. "Get that thing away from my nose."

Chuckling, Tsunade retorted. "But it's mild. Look at the percentage."

"Please, nothing mild goes down your throat, Tsunade."

Laughing, she rested on her couch. "Mebu, let me host you well. What can I get you?"

"Your attention, if you don't mind."

"You have it!" She returned the bottle of wine on the table. "It's good to see you, Mebuki. You should've called to let me know that you're in Konoha."

Copying the blonde woman, Mebuki leaned into the chair. Tsunade examined the woman before her. She was still as beautiful as ever. Fifty did not look her age at all. The only sign of old age that was evident on her face were the mild wrinkles on her forehead and the brackets that framed her mouth.

"I would've, had they not stolen my phone."

"How come?" Tsunade helped herself to a glass of wine, still feeling twinges from her upset stomach.

"I don't know myself. I still had your address in my memory. But I don't know about Sakura's address."

"Does she know that you're here?"

"No, she doesn't."

The suspicious note her voice had taken was very obvious, especially to Tsunade.

"Is something bothering you?"

A few seconds passed before Mebuki looked at her, ready with an answer. "How is she? I don't know what it is that keeps bothering me, call it mother's intuition or not, I'm just worried."

"Mebuki -"

"I only visited her twice when I heard she had post-partum depression." She cut in. "She was still angry with me because I found it hard to accept Sasuke and she had sent me away. Over the years, I'd learnt to acknowledge her husband. He kept on keeping in touch, keeping me updated about Sakura and Sarada. He kept on sending money and goodies and eventually, I grew to like him."

Pausing, she sat up, balancing her black bag beside her. "But I could tell that he left some information out of the ones he was feeding me. I turned to Ino for more, and she told me little. Little that made me grasp the whole situation. I want to know what you think. They've all been keeping me out of the loop, but I'm her mother. And something doesn't sit well with me. I didn't want to talk on the phone, I wanted to see someone, to talk to someone, face to face."

The wine glass, long forgotten, stood near Tsunade's lap on the couch. She shared a sympathizing look with her friend. Where could she start? From where should she begin? She was as guilty as the rest of them; as guilty as those who kept her out of the loop. Sakura was like a daughter to her and if her heart ached for someone who was not her own flesh and blood, what would her own mother do? What would she feel? How would she feel?

"Then talk to Sakura."

"She won't talk or listen to me. We talk on the phone, fine. But it's just minor greetings and fake responses." Mebuki spat. "Tsunade, just tell me the truth."

"I'm guessing you didn't come all the way here to only hear a sop story."

Mebuki's brows relaxed, her mouth tightened in a firm line, her gaze, calculating. "My guts brought me here. I'll see my daughter before going back. I want to. I have to."

Returning her wine glass to the table, she took a moment to arrange her thoughts. Turning to Sakura's mother, she disclosed all that she knew.

"So, it's not just the depression that's causing her hallucinations. You think it's something worse than that." Mebuki accused.

"I don't know yet. We haven't taken her for any examinat-"

"No." Mebuki cut in harshly. "No, my daughter is not insane."

Knowledge is power, however, ignorance is bliss. Haruno Mebuki did not entertain the idea of being clueless about her daughter's well being. Yet, there are some things that are better unsaid. Especially to a mother whose heart was as frail as Mebuki's. On the outside, she appeared tough as nails, but she had a complete opposite interior.

"Mebuki," Tsunade started placatingly, "I don't know how to tell you this, but there's a high chance that Sakura will need serious medical attention. And it's not the type that you're accustomed to."

"Is it because of Sasuke?" She questioned out of nowhere. Some things never changed. She probably told herself that she'd accepted the Uchiha, that she'd found it somewhere in her heart to tolerate him. But in reality, the Uchiha was still a character that was in need of her appraisal.

"What?! No!"

"Sakura has always been normal, right from when she was little."

"But that's not enough guarantee that she'll remain mentally stable."

"So, what you're telling me is that you believe that she's unwell."

True. She had just admitted that Sakura was sick. To her mother. Her stomach squeezed a little.

"Tell me, how is their marriage?" Mebuki ventured. "Maybe it was the stress that caused everything."

"You know fully well that all marriages are not sunshine and rainbows." Tsunade defended. "There are times that they are at sixes and sevens with each other, and there are also times that all will be rosy."

"Are you defending him because you like him or out of the sense of duty you owe his parents?" Mebuki insinuated, angrily.

Amber eyes sparked with brittle fury. Her spine straightened as she sat up, feeling somewhat livid. No wonder Sakura was fed up. Her mother was just as overbearing as ever. "I am defending their _marriage_ because I am right. You have no right to judge Sasuke. He's been a good husband to Sakura and the best father to Sarada. It's something you'd know if you were open-minded."

Sighing deeply, she receded, calming herself down. She was at it again. Those were similar words that Sakura had told her years back. About her domineering nature as a mother and how she never cared for her daughter's happiness. Tsunade had uttered something similar which had the same meaning. Saddened by the fact, she muttered. "How can this be? What did I do wrong to deserve this?"

A lot.

She knew the answers to her own question. Deep down, she felt that she was one to blame. Maybe she had done this to her daughter. Was it impossible to think that? Did Sakura blame her too? Does she blame her still?

Her little musing was cut abruptly by Tsunade's voice. "Talk to Sakura. Hear the story from the horse's mouth. I'm not the right per-"

"Your phone." Mebuki uttered, cutting her off. "The light's on."

Taken aback, it took a few heartbeats for Tsunade to understand what she was talking about. Then she followed the direction of her eyes to the armchair that was behind her and in the middle of the room. Her phone laid on the chair, beaming silently.

Then it dawned on her, she had put the phone on silent. When she tried desperately to fall asleep, she killed the volume of her phone. Reaching for the mute device, she was shocked to see just how many calls she had missed.

Ten. She had missed ten calls just this afternoon.

Three were from Sasuke; another three from Naruto; two from Shizune and two from Ino. Now, Naruto called again but the call ended before she could pick it.

"What's wrong?" Mebuki asked, noticing the mild frown on her features.

Dialling the last number that had called her, she shook her head, "I don't know."

Naruto picked on the second ring. _"Gran Tsunade."_ He greeted with a pinched, relieved tone.

"Naruto, what's the matter?"

 _"Is Sakura with you? Did you see her today?"_

Confused, she replied. "No, I haven't seen her. What's wrong?"

A shuffling sound emitted through the transmission. She wondered if he was walking. _"We've been calling her phone for half an hour now but she hasn't answered. I just dropped Sarada at Ino's place, I'm on my way to their house."_

"Have you checked the hospital?" There was a probability that she went to see that Ayame woman again. The thought settled a crease in her abdomen.

 _"We asked. She's not there. She's not with Ino or Aunt Shizune either."_

"What of Sasuke? Where is he?" She asked calmly, not seeing the need to panic just yet. Worse case scenario may be that her phone got stolen or she forgot it on silent mode. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could feel the tension on Mebuki's features. She had a full understanding of the situation.

 _"He should be at their place by now."_

"Naruto," she started, massaging her temple, "maybe she went off somewhere. Maybe she left her phone on silent. She'll still come back."

 _"Granny, she forgot to pick Sarada from school. Sarada was in school for over an hour and she didn't come. She didn't call Sasuke to pick her up like she said she would if she was busy. She never went to the hospital. She never even left the house!"_

Faintly, she heard the sound of a car door closing. Naruto was about to drive. Soon, her calm posture dissipated.

 _"Something doesn't seem right, Gran. Sasuke should've even called me by now."_

She found it difficult to work out the words to say. _"I have to go, Gran. I'll call you when there's news."_

Swallowing, she nodded. "Okay Naruto."

When he ended the call, she searched for another number to call. Mebuki shifted on her seat, bending towards Tsunade for her attention.

"What's wrong? That was Naruto. It was about Sakura, right?"

Pressing the call button, she waited patiently as it rang.

"Tsunade, answer me!"

Mebuki's heart dropped when she got her reply. Was this the guy feeling that brought her down here? What in the world was happening? She shook at those words.

"They are looking for Sakura."

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.

 _Emerald eyes fluttered open. Light. The very first thing her brain registered. It was bright, blinding. She felt light and hollow._

 _Standing up, she took in her surroundings. Everywhere was a bright white. Was she dead? Is this the afterlife? There was nothing but empty space._

 _She looked at herself, she was clothed in the same colour as her surroundings._

 _A white gown._

 _With a red rose in her hand. The rose was not in full bloom. But it was pretty. She held it with all the tenderness she could offer. Mesmerized by the flower, her heart suddenly ached._

 _She was dead._

 _At least, that was enough information she had. She could not remember much about what had happened to her. All she knew was that she was sad. Unknowingly, a drop of water touched her hand. Reaching out to her face, from where the water had dropped, she noticed the trail down her eyes._

 _It wasn't water, but tears. She was crying._

 _Immediately, a presence fell before her, an index finger caught the next liquid that threatened to fall from her eyes. Quietly, she looked up, facing the person that offered her comfort._

 _"Dad." She said, not completely surprised. It was enough confirmation. They were both dead after all._

 _"Hey there, pumpkin." Kizashi greeted, pinching her cheeks softly._

 _Looking down at her rose, she heaved. "Are you here to excort me?"_

 _Smiling sadly, he shook his head. "Give me the flower."_

 _He looked just the way he did before death claimed him. She wondered what he had been in memory. But her thoughts were too clouded. There was no space to think anymore. The only thing she knew was that she had a family. A family that she was going to leave behind. She sighed at the sight of the flower. Something clicked within her._

 _The rose signified a baton. A baton of her life._

 _This room was the place of exchange. Her semi-human state signified that last drop of life she had, the rose was her life and her father was death. Would it be safe to assume such a thing?_

 _But life and death was not something humans can comprehend. This setting is not something that should match her understanding._

 _"Don't you worry, Sakura." Kizashi whispered. "I'll take good care of your flower."_

 _Crying softly into her father's palm on her cheek, she held_ _the red rose out to him._

 _Willingly, he accepted. Offering a bitter smile, he spoke, "I love you dear."_

 _"I love you too, Dad."_

 _That was how the scene washed. She, handing out the flower to her father and Kizashi, still clamping the stem. Both held their ends faithfully, smiling into the incandescent limelight._

 _A life had indeed passed._

 **Author's** **note**

Wow! That was so sad. I'll miss Sakura. It'll be hard for me to write the next chapter with this new turn up. Let me hear your views on this.

Stay tuned for the next chapter. Remember, ghost reading should be shunned!

Happy reading!


	11. Chapter 10

_So sorry for the long wait. My phone packed up just when I started this chapter four months ago and coupled with school, I didn't have enough time to finish up with my new phone. This chapter is short but still something to clear the air. Enjoy_...

 **CHAPTER 10**

Hospitals were never his favorite place. Was it pure coincidence or what? The hospital was the last place his parents had visited before they were taken six feet under. It was the same nature of this building that announced their deaths. The same had happened with Itachi. To him, nothing good came from the hospital. Bad news was always his serving.

But he prayed earnestly that fate will change his thinking. That the same cycle won't repeat itself. His laced hands, already stained with enough blood, felt numb with the pressure he applied to them in agitation.

The smell of iron and drugs assaulted his nose. From where he sat, hunched opposite the emergency room that confined his wife, he prayed for good news.

He wasn't prepared for this. He had returned home, practicing his points for the argument he felt he would have with Sakura. The house was as quiet as a graveyard the minute he walked in. Still, he did not expect anything to be out of the ordinary.

Just as he was about to climb the first flight of the stairs, he saw something that made his organs cold.

Blood.

The only thing he registered before he took the first step. He didn't need proof to know that the bloodied face that was angled at him atop the floor of the first flight was Sakura's. Till now, the image traumatized him. On impulse, he scaled through the remaining steps and knelt beside the limp figure. He was of the mind to beat her, shake her, to wake her up. But being a doctor's husband, he knew the best help he could give her was to leave her and call the hospital.

And that was what he did.

As panic-stricken as he was, he called for help even though his nerves begged him to touch her. Something pinched him to just do something. Anything. Because his stalling may be the death of her. But he was also scared. What if he checked her pulse and got a confirmation that she had given up the ghost? For how long had she been like this? There was too much blood on the floor! Was that confirmation that she had been like this since she spoke to Ino or what? If he did something to her frail body, who knew if he would be doing more harm than good?

In less than ten minutes, an ambulance arrived. EMTs rushed in and managed to get her on a stretcher. That scene shocked him the more. Lifting her onto the stretcher revealed the other half of her body that was buried in the bloody mess. He couldn't recognize his wife anymore. All he saw was red.

The paramedics started their work as they carried her to the ambulance. Sasuke had sat beside them, looking at nothing but her bloody face. She was still. What kind of husband was he? All he had thought of all afternoon was fighting with her, confronting her about Sarada's case and their turbulent relationship.

Most importantly, what would he tell Sarada? What would she think of him?

He hoped that Sakura heard all his regrets. That she would just open her eyes.

The last update he got about her was that she was unstable and needed an OR. The waiting was making him sick. The way he smelled made him nauseated.

"Sakura, come back already!" He hissed to thin air.

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"Where's my daughter!" Haruno Mebuki barged into the waiting room, eyes roving frantically. Some nurses urged her to be quiet but that was the least of her concerns. She wanted to see Sakura. Naruto had informed them that she was rushed to their hospital. She knew nothing of her situation, but understood that it was serious.

Tsunade breezed in like a lioness, rushing in calculated strides, with Naruto in tow, to the emergency room. Sasuke sat on the chair outside, his head bent on his interlaced arms. He had not noticed them, until Tsunade and Naruto hurried to his side. "Sasuke, what happened? What happened to Sakura?"

The Uchiha remained silent, only showing Naruto tired uneasy eyes. But Tsunade wasn't as uneasy as he was. "I'm going in."

"You can't." Shizune countered as she walked in, standing with the quiet Mebuki. "Dr Yakushi is handling it."

Mebuki remained still, visibly glaring at Sasuke who did not return the acknowledgement.

He had some nerve! How could he be so quiet in her presence!

If looks could kill, Sasuke would be needing an ER like her daughter right now.

"How could you leave Sakura with that man, Shizune?" Tsunade fumed quietly.

"What's wrong with Kabuto, Gran?" Naruto asked but got nothing from the two women.

Shizune walked up to to the blonde woman. "He's the best trauma surgeon we have and you know that."

"What about me? I'm better than he is!" Tsunade alleged, biting her voice down .

"You weren't here! And according to protocol, a doctor is forbidden from treating relatives and people they have a strong personal attachments to."

"If you like, read the damn book to me, Shizune."

"This hospital is saddled to run according to the protocol, Miss Tsunade-"

"Fuck the protocol! I'd rather break the rules than have that Yakushi touch Sakura."

"How dare you?" The last voice in the room hissed, drawing both Tsunade's and Shizune's attention. The addressed person still had no clue that the icy remark was directed to him. Slowly, Mebuki walked to Sasuke. "She was supposed to be your responsibility! You promised me that!"

"Aunt Mebuki, Sasuke didn't do anything." Naruto defended. Sasuke finally returned obsidian eyes to Mebuki's fierce orbs.

"Exactly!" The woman exclaimed. "It was always work! You were ne-"

"Stop it Mebuki." Tsunade cut in. "Can you hear yourself?"

"Don't go defending him again, Tsunade. He can never speak for himself! Sakura may be under the knife because of him." She ranted unreasonably.

"Do you think I pushed her from the stairs? How is this my fault?" Sasuke asked icily, silently, not caring about the person he talked to.

"Did you just talk back at me?"

"Tch." Sasuke hissed into his fingers.

"She fell from the stairs?" Shizune asked.

"It's likely." The Uchiha replied. "She was in a really bad shape. There was blood everywhere."

Every sentence he spoke made Mebuki's blood boil. She couldn't imagine it. Sakura- her Sakura- on the cold floor, bleeding with no one to help her.

"Right now, all we can do is pray." Shizune said after some time.

Mebuki's face mirrored a scorn. "That's right. You better pray, Uchiha. If anything happens to my daughter, you gonna get what's coming to you."

"Be quiet, Mebuki!" Tsunade ordered. But she became the next victim of Mebuki's scornful look.

"No, I won't be quiet! You all accused my daughter of being insane. He's -" Indicating to Sasuke with her handbag, " - no saint. That's why my daughter's here. He hurt her emotionally."

"And you think that's enough reason for Sakura to put herself in danger? Willingly?!" Tsunade retorted, not minding the increase of her voice. "You clearly do not know your daughter."

"Can you both just keep quiet!" Naruto sliced in, angry. "You're not helping Sakura at all. Sasuke did nothing wrong, so stop blaming him." He said to Mebuki. Tsunade's small lips clamped shut but Mebuki did not appear like she was backing down. "Naruto, I'll go insane if I don't blame someone."

"But it's too early to shove your blaming fingers at someone." Shizune claimed. "Just pray for her safety."

"We'll pray less if I was in there." Tsunade's inputted.

"You're not doing that." Shizune bit back. "The board already put a lot on your plate. One more mistake could be severe. You do not want to give them this excuse."

None of their exchanges made sense to Sasuke. They mentioned prayer. It's something he had been doing since he came across Sakura this afternoon.

It's something he was still doing.

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"Sarada honey, eat something." Ino urged the little girl for the umpteenth time that afternoon. Honestly, it took a lot of effort on her part to keep her tears and worries at bay. She knew where Sakura was, Naruto told her. But she couldn't leave Sarada alone.

Sai took Inojin to his workplace when he picked him from school. He had done so to ensure he kept his promise of giving his blonde wife peace on her day off. However, her day off was sour. What had happened? It was surreal. Was it not Sakura that she begged this morning to follow her to a restaurant? Was it not Sakura that blew her off? Was it not her friend that sounded hale and hearty over the phone?

And in the twinkle of an eye, she ended up in the hospital the same day.

Choking once more, she nudged the spoon at the little Uchiha's mouth, but those lips did not budge. Ceding, she dropped the spoon. Why was she so stubborn? Ino wondered if Sarada knew something of the situation. The brunette remained quiet and sullen.

"Sarada?" Ino approached the topic. "Is something wrong?"

Obsidian eyes stared at her. "Where's my Mama?"

Mildly confused, Ino responded. "She..." Or at least, she tried to respond. But she couldn't find the right words to use. Sighing, she continued, feigning mock-vivacity. "She's at work. Maybe she's in the operating room, performing a surgery." True. Naruto told her she was in the OR, so it wasn't a complete lie. "You know she'll be very busy."

She hoped that explanation was enough for Sarada, but to her surprise, she frowned all the more. Dark brows scrunched up in fury. "You're lying." She hissed in a cold tone. Ino was almost reminded of Sasuke. The apple didn't fall far from the tree.

There was indeed more to Sarada's mind that met the eye. "What do you mean, dear?"

Ino shifted, uneasy on the dining chair that she was seated on.

"My Papa told Uncle Naruto that Mama never left the house. I heard him." She reported, with anger still displayed on her petite face. "Why did he lie that she was busy at the hospital?"

Adjusting so that she was at an arm's length away, Ino reached out to Sarada's shoulders. "Maybe she went home to pick something?" She said pathetically.

"I know what I heard. Why are you lying?" She bounced from her seat to the floor. "What happened to my Mama?"

The dream she had this morning still haunted her mind. She had been restless when her mother did not show up to pick her from school. Her Papa's demeanor did little to ease her. Then she heard him tell her uncle that her mother was at home, something that he lied to her about afterwards. Aunt Ino was doing the same thing. Why were they all acting suspicious?

"Sarada-"

"I want my Mama. I want to talk to her, aunt Ino."

Ino was short of words. What would a woman like her do in this situation? How could she talk to her? What could she say to ease this little girl? Moving her mouth to utter an explanation, the little Uchiha cut her, already sure that she was about to lie again. "Why won't you call my mama?"

Sighing, she stood up from her seat, tears at the dam of her eyes. She couldn't do this. She wanted to be at the hospital. She wanted updates. She wanted to know what her best friend's condition was. But she didn't want to answer Sarada. Not yet. The poor girl was already on edge about not seeing her mother. Learning that Sakura is in the hospital might leave the girl dejected. "Eat your food first." She managed to voice out, making her way out of the dining room. But Sarada was not about to let her go so easily.

"No!" Her tiny voice shouted in anger, a hint of sadness in her shaky voice.

Ino pivoted. Her effort to hide her tears were fruitless. "Stop being stubborn, Sarada!"

"You're a liar! You and my papa are liars. Where's my Mama?"

She couldn't hold it anymore. Sarada's eyes were already glistening with genuine tears. The sight of her made Ino quaver the more. Balancing on the wooden master dining chair, she wiped her eyes, focusing her gaze on the chair and not the girl sobbing in front of her. Resolutely, she braced herself, standing straight. Sarada looked at her expectantly.

She commanded. "Eat first-"

"But-"

She didn't give Sarada enough room to counter. "Then we'll go to the hospital."

Sarada did not believe her. Her brows furrowed again, thinking hey Aunt was trying to play the same trick on her. She didn't have an appetite. So she wanted was her mother. What had happened? Aunt Ino was crying, Papa lied and uncle Naruto was clearly hiding something. Everyone had been acting odd since this afternoon and it sure as hell had something to do with her mother. She was about to throw a tantrum until Aunt Ino said something. Something that made eating compulsory.

"Your mother is in the hospital."

Something in her face looked grave. Her aunt had always been someone that joined around, someone that said things that were hard to believe or that were not to be believed. But something in her gaze said that she was not kidding this time.

"Eat up and we'll go see her."

Something in her gaze made Sarada more anxious. Her mother was in the hospital. But not for the right reason.

Ino left the room afterwards. Leaving a hiccuping Sarada with her food so that she could find a secluded corner to sob on her own. She had kept the tears in for too long.

She hoped Sasuke would forgive her for what she was about to do. But it was necessary.

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How long had it been since she was taken to that room? Time seemed slower to Sasuke. He had made the mistake of not checking the time when Sakura was carted to the ER.

His mother-in-law had been emitting a bone-chilling aura since she entered the room but he could care less. Tsunade has been pacing around ceaselessly. Naruto had been a supporting friend since he came to his side. Although he knew that the Uzumaki was itching to pace around too.

"How long has it been?" Tsunade voiced it what he had been thinking. "What's going on in there?"

"It's been more than an hour now." Shizune replied, mildly anxious. Maybe it was because she really trusted the doctor that was talking care of his wife.

One hour.

Just an hour passed. And it seemed longer than that. He wondered the pain Sakura might be feeling. His head ached with worry. He wouldn't have even gotten up from his position had Naruto not pushed him to get his bloodied hands washed. He was already losing hope. He just didn't voice it out.

The pool of blood Sakura laid in still bothered him. With that much blood, was there still hope? He wondered what they were still doing in there. Were they still exploring other options to save her? Because she was their boss?

"Papa?"

No matter how frozen and fazed out he was, that voice couldn't have gone unnoticed. Eyes wide, he looked at the direction the voice came from. Ino and Sarada stood there. Ino's baby blue eyes were cast down in sadness. 'I had no choice' was spelled on her features. Sarada looked confused. Sasuke could detect a while mix of emotions on his daughter's face from where he sat; sadness, anger, confusion, tiredness and loads of forbearance.

"Sarada!" Naruto exclaimed quietly, shocked like he was.

Tsunade's stopped her pacing. "Ino, why did you bring her here?"

Nothing seemed to move again. Sasuke remained frozen in his spot, eyes still pinned at his daughter's confused face. His cupped fists suffered a tight squeeze once more. Ashamed, he lowered his head once more, not bearing that gaze. How he wished the earth could swallow him. What excuse could he give this little girl. Surprisingly, he couldn't blame Ino for taking the bold move. Exhausted, his distraught shoulders slumped all the more.

He became aware of the light but steady steps that echoed towards him. His eyes saw the little legs that belonged to his daughter standing before him but he dared not raise his head. He feared his composure would crumble if he looked at her. Then, her little hand held his sleeve, tugging it a little to get his attention. "Papa? What's wrong?"

The way her voice shook at the end pinched her father, drawing his eyes to hers. He noticed her dampy tired eyes. She had been crying. But for what reason? Frowning in confusion, he looked at Ino, eyes begging for an explanation. Hoping that she had not spilled the beans already.

"Sarada wanted to see her mama." She offered silently. "She was too persistent, I had to bring her."

"Papa." Sarada called out, drawing her father's attention once more. "Why did you lie? You said that Mama was in the hospital but she was at home."

Sasuke tried searching her eyes with his tired orbs. He opened his mouth to explain but he didn't know how to do it. Instead he placed with his hands on her shoulder and bowed his head, trying to organise his cloudy thoughts.

"Your mama got into a little accident at home." Someone else said softly, placing a loving hand on Sarada's back, drawing her attention. Sasuke looked at Mebuki who completely ignored him. They weren't on the same page but he was grateful that she was helping him out. Being a mother is far different from being a father. Only God knew the explanation he was about to feed his daughter. "She'll be okay soon, dear. Don't you worry, okay?"

Sarada looked at her father, eyes brimming with fresh tears. She noticed something on her father's shirt. Blood. She remembered the times she had peeked into her parents' room whenever her mother had avoided her when she came back from work. She remembered the blood-stained camisoles and the smudges of blood that were on her arms when she hugged her. Most times, she wasn't aware that she came home with them. She also remembered the bloodied scrubs she saw in the hospital whenever she stayed with her mother at work after school.

Her papa was clearly not in the best shape. Suddenly, she did something surprising. Still trapped under the weight of her father's hands on her shoulders, she hugged him, crying into his neck. "Mama is gonna be alright, right Papa?"

Surprised for the umpteenth time, he returned the embrace. "Aa." He breathed out.

The sound of an iron door opening broke the embrace. A man with with hair and round specs emerged from the ER. He sighed upon seeing everyone in the waiting room.

"Well, Dr Yakushi?" Tsunade asked impatiently.

Sarada hugged her father's waist as he stood, his hand holding her to himself.

"We were able to control the bleeding. She lost a lot of blood but we were able to get the right blood type for a transfusion. She had a minor concussion, a broken arm and a few blisters on her legs as a result of the fall."

Tsunade pinched her temple. "Enough of the wordplay, Kabuto. How is she?"

He continued his diagnosis, not minding his angry superior. "No punctured organ or broken rib. She's covered in some minor bruises." He smiled. "She's stable, but-" He paused, trying Tsunade's patience like he always did. Tsunade's eyes were narrowed to slits at this point, however, he ignored it and pushed his glasses to his face the more. "I'm sorry but she lost the baby."

The room grew still all of a sudden. Shock was evident on everybody's face, Sasuke's included.

"She'll still be dizzy from the anaesthetic. Given that she had lost so much blood and the impact from the fall had weakened her a great deal she'll be asleep for at least 24 hours. You might see some bumps and swollen parts on her legs and head but -"

"Wait, what did you say?" Naruto questioned, lost and angry.

"What?" Kabuto asked, confused. "I said she'll be dizzy from the ana-"

"She was pregnant?" Mebuki choked out. "What do you mean? How could she-" She looked from the doctor to Sasuke. "Did you know about this?"

Sasuke had not heard her. His mind was having a hard time digesting what he heard.

"She was too months pregnant. Or there about. The foetus was completely crushed. Don't know how that was medically possible but from the amount of blood she lost, she must have been long on the way." Dr Yakushi explained.

"No." Sasuke disagreed. "We weren't expecting. She didn't know."

"It's possible she didn't know. Most women are aware after three months."

"I'm going in." Kabuto excused Tsunade as she walked to the door with Shizune on her tail. Meanwhile, everyone outside maintained the silence, still digesting what they had heard. Sasuke, weak to his knees, sat down, his hands shaking beside him. Sarada watched her father quietly, not understanding the situation. Naruto's tan skin had visibly reddened, his composure still as he silently walked into the ER.

Mebuki released a low cry, sitting beside Sasuke's dejected form, trying hard to swallow her cry with her palm on her mouth. Sarada pressed her side to Sasuke's body, peeking at her grandmother.

The waiting room became cold. This chill, to Sasuke, was unlike the one he had felt for the past hour. That chill was one of apprehension and anxiety, because he waited to news; good or bad. There was a chance then. He hoped for good news- prayed for good news. So that he would be able to face his wife the worst was over. So that he would be at ease with his daughter after the storm had calmed.

But why was the room freaking cold!

His fingers were numb. Courtesy of the way he squeezed them during the last hour and the awaited news he received. How was he going to face her now?

They just lost their baby! One that they never knew of.

His throat became clogged. He wanted to see her. And at the same time, he was ashamed to do it.

He wanted to touch her, to hug her. But he was afraid to do so.

He wanted to apologise to her at the very moment. But circumstances could not allow it.

His mind buzzed with the million and one things he wanted to do. But something held him back.

Slowly, he felt Sarada leave his body. Apparently, Ino did not want her to witness their moments of weakness. Again, he was grateful.

"Sarada. Let's go buy something for your Papa." She said sternly, holding her hand. Sarada sulked but complied. Putting a strong hand on Sasuke's shoulder, she said harshly. "Get your act together. She's okay and that's good news. Be strong for your kid."

With that said, she left.

Sasuke had a lot of begging and forgiving to do and the first person pleaded to forgive was himself.

Himself alone.

 **Author's note**

 _Well? What do you think? Too much Sasuke in this chapter. I'll work on the next chapter soon. I could have continued but I was kinda blank on how to put all that into this chapter. But stay tuned..._


	12. Chapter 11

_Drumroll... Drumroll...dun dun dun. And now comes the vote of thanks from yours faithfully, Ayamegurl8. Lots of love to you readers of mine. Lysergic, your commentary is deeply appreciated. Thank you so much for your time. Same goes to Jazzy, Love_dani and my wonderful guest readers. To be wholly honest, I had given up on this piece when I was in school. I did not see the need to continue if there was no audience. There_ _were readers though, but hardly any reviews. Like I said before, reviews rejuvenate me. Therefore, in light of this, please leave a little something for me to know that I can keep going. Once again, a big thank you to all my faithful readers and reviewers. You may not know it but you all are deeply loved._

 _Here's a new piece, hurriedly baked to serve you all in order to show my gratitude. I await your honest opinions at the end of the chapter. Enjoy..._

 **CHAPTER 11**

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 _Amidst the darkness, she lived unnmoving_

 _Afraid of what she might touch or what she might discover in the hollowness._

 _For in the world of void, only prayer deemed a necessity_

 _Life continued behind her closed eyes, as well as, her deafened ears_

 _She heard; but did not speak_

 _Felt; but did not see_

 _Only did one thing that connected her to the outside world_

 _Letting that lone tear fall_

 _She cried_

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 _"My son's always so pushy. Sometimes I wonder if that's how I raised him or if his wife is responsible."_

 _"You're getting old. It's something he's had in him for a long time."_

 _"Oh! Hush it, Sakya. You still mix your children's names up What would you know about my Idate."_

 _"I know that it's still his dream to be a priest." Sakya smirked as she peeled the red apple._

 _Dina's eyes widened, her lips beaten by her teeth as she nearly pushed herself off her chair, prepared to launch her knitting pin at the red haired Sakya. "He gave that up ages ago."_

 _"Because you didn't approve of it ages ago." Sakya retorted._

" _I'll poke you with this pin if you don't take time."_

 _"Use your glasses, so you don't miss."_

 _"Enough ladies!" The third person on the table spoke._

 _Dina cussed as she reclined, getting back to her knitting. "Do you think I'm lying, Mebuki?" Sakya asked. "I could see it in_ _his eyes."_

 _Mebuki helped herself to an apple slice. "Well, his mother doesn't think so, right Dina?" Said woman nodded through her glasses._

 _Sakya waved it off. "Oh please, I was like his second mother. I could tell what was on his mind just by his sneeze."_

 _"Pfft." Dina scoffed, peeking at the red head from the top of her glasses. "Tell me, how?"_

 _"Mother's intuition." Sakya said boldly._

 _Mebuki kept on munching the apple_ _slices on the table, engrossed in the book she was reading and paying no attention to the squabble before her._

 _"Haaa!" Dina put her business on her lap, completely onto Sakya's taunts. "Mother's intuition." She mocked. "Yet you can't tell your own children apart."_

 _"Now that's a lie."_

 _"That's enough!" Mebuki hit her book on the table, fed up. "I really don't know what this old man is feeling in this chapter because of you old women."_

 _Sakya and Dina eyed each other before dropping the topic entirely. Mebuki smiled and plucked another slice of apple before carrying on with her reading._

 _"What of you, Mebuki?" Sakya_ _questioned._

 _Mebuki folded the page. It's not like she was going to have some quiet today. "What about me?"_

 _"Have you cleared things up with your daughter? You've been disturbing us about wanting to see her all week."_

 _"Have you even called her. I understand that that feeling you've been getting is called mother's intuition." Dina stressed, clearly trying to stir Sakya again. "It's not something anybody can claim to have."_

 _"Are you trying to tell me something?" Sakya fumed, dropping the last apple and knife._

 _Dina feigned innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about."_

 _Mebuki remembered how she had woken up one good morning and how she had felt the urge to see her daughter. But how could something like that happen? It's been, what, five or six years since she's seen her daughter. Their phone_ _calls were purely seamed on fake responses, what more when they meet in real life. "I plan on leaving tomorrow... To Konoha."_

 _"That's good news." Dina responded, shutting Sakya's comeback._

 _Time has come for her to face her fears. Life will not be on her side forever. It's high time she talked to her daughter, so that she can die in peace._

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The smell of the hospital hurt her stomach. Her mission was to meet her daughter and talk to her. That can only be accomplished by seeing her. Now, that proved difficult. What face would she see? This will be the first face she'll see in six years. And what's worse, she just lost her child.

Sakura would be in the worse shape possible.

How could she approach her now?

Normal mothers would know that their jobs at the moment would be to offer comfort to their children. But Sakura will probably not want to see her. Either ways, she had to see her. Just as she was about to stand up, the iron door opened.

The first thing she saw was a bed. A big bed. Being rolled out of the room. Tsunade came out of the room with Shizune in tow while the nurses moved the bed.

"We're moving her to another room. Only then, immediate family members will be allowed to visit her."

Sasuke rose to his feet and walked towards the bed. The sight of his wife left him weak. She was pale, except for the dark blotches near her left eye and mouth, she had a bandage wrapped around her head. Two tiny tubes were plugged into her nostrils. He guessed they were for oxygen. Her body was covered in white. It's possible they had to rip her outfit and cover her with the hospital gown. She was so small in the big bed. His hands had to search the ocean of white sheets for her hand. It was small and frail. Her hand. He swallowed once more, caressing it with his finger. Behind him, Tsunade was talking to Mebuki, who on her own, decided to walked to the bed beside him.

"Never in my life have I seen her like this." Mebuki said to no one. Sasuke remained silent beside her, just feeling the life in his wife's hand.

"You can talk to her all you want after we've moved her out of the emergency unit." Tsunade ordered. "Let the nurses do their jobs."

Sakura was wheeled out of the room with her mother in tow. But Sasuke stayed behind to wait for Ino and Sarada who were coming from the other side, and subconsciously, to wait for Naruto, who was still in the theatre. "What happened? Why are they moving her?" Ino asked, worried. Sarada automatically moved to her father's side, offering him a can of Coke. "Papa, I bought this for you."

He accepted her offering as he sat. She was an angel. Smiling a bit, he patted her cheeks. "Your Mama's okay. She was moved to another room." He explained to Ino. The Yamanaka already had years of joy welled up in her eyes.

"Is that so?"

At that moment, Naruto finally showed himself. "Will she be okay with you?" Ino asked, referring to Sarada.

The distant look on Naruto's face spoke volumes. Sasuke understood that his friend needed to pour some emotions on him. "No, take her to Sakura. I'll fetch her soon."

"No Papa!" Sarada pouted. "Let's go together."

"I'll follow, I promise." He pressed her tiny hand reassuringly. "I need to talk to Uncle Naruto for a sec."

She looked at her uncle before giving a curt nod. "Okay Papa. You promised."

Then she went with Ino.

Sasuke did not remove his eyes from his daughter's retreating form until Naruto sat, hunched up beside him. Nobody moved. Sasuke rested his head on the wall, his eyes still casted at the emergency room. Naruto's remained pinned on the floor. None of them broke the silence. The smell of iron and drugs still assaulted the air. Sasuke did not want to break the quiet. Even if he wanted to, what could he say? Hell, he wouldn't even want to lighten the mood between them. Naruto acted more like Sakura's husband than he did. After all, they had known each other for a long time. He waited patiently for Naruto to act up. To, maybe, insult or punch him.

He waited for Naruto to lecture him. To reprimand him for not taking care of his wife. For not handling her case responsibly. For being too indulged in his belief of her being crazy than in her needing actual love and support. For being too angry with her for not picking their daughter from school instead of giving her the benefit of the doubt that she had not gone to seek divine intervention from a shady place. For not trying too hard to fix their relationship.

Though, Sakura had her own share of faults and blames. But who would see it that way? He suddenly turned to the bad guy the minute he had that fight with her, believed she was crazy and left her on her own. He was a bad husband in his mother-in-law's eyes for having supposedly 'neglected' her. He was a bad father for lying to his daughter. He wondered what his best friend thought of him. It was just this morning that he told Naruto that Sakura was not normal. Will he also accuse him for neglecting his wife? What's more, they just lost a child. Those assumptions stomped him. Made him wish the whole ordeal was a dream. Wish that the day would run fast like it never happened. Wish that he never lived this day. But there are some things you do not run away from. He promised himself forgiveness. That's exactly what he was going to do. No more complicating matters. His plate has been filled with a lot of to-do's.

"You know..." Sasuke adjusted upon hearing Naruto's voice. His reverie, already broken. It was time to hear it. To know what was coursing through his head. "The sight of Sakura... seeing her so pale on that bed, I remembered something."

Naruto remained hunched, his elbows were firmly planted on his laps and his fingers were clasped together, almost mirroring Sasuke's former position. "When we were in junior high, we were freshmen back then. We were not that close. Heck, we didn't know each other. She had her nerd clique and I was a troublemaker; a lone one, couldn't fit into any group." He paused for effect, resting his back after sucking in a deep breath.

"She was a triangle student. School. Library. And home. She went to no other place but these three. She stayed in a dorm, because her house was far from the school. That girl... There was no way she could avoid attention, not with a hair like hers. She was quiet and popular in her own way." He smiled at the memory. "She wasn't completely quiet. There were times, she had her quirks but it was never in public. Then she got in trouble with a jock, Dosu. Dosu had his clique and they wanted payback. One night, when she was done in the library and was headed home, they cornered her."

"Sakura has always been a strong woman. She never faced difficulties without putting up a fight. That night, she managed to stand her ground but she wasn't strong enough. Kin and her crew pinned her down while Dosu and Zaku tried to take turns with her."

Some parts of Sasuke was shocked. Sakura had never shared this part of her life with him. Naruto really knew her than he could defend.

"Long story short, I came just in time to save her. With help from Sai and the school's security, we were able to chase those scumbags away. But Sakura had already been hurt. She laid there traumatized about what had almost happened. She was ghost white, shaking and crying. When I looked at her, I wanted to punch Dosu's face till it busted." Silently, Naruto turned to offer a bitter smile to his friend. "Sakura has been through a lot of emotional pain. She wasn't stable for that period and had kept it hidden from Miss Mebuki. I became her friend instantly. That was what she needed. That's what you can be."

Realization dawned on Sasuke. He planted his elbows on his knee, his body askew to Naruto. "I don't know what she'll think when she sees me." Sasuke pondered.

"I don't too. But I know she will need someone to mourn her child with her. She'll cry a lot." Naruto placed his palm on Sasuke's shoulder and squeezed. "Don't let her cry alone."

A gesture and advice as sweet as this would have been enough to spoil his day, had the situation been calmer and different, but for now, this was all the Uchiha needed. Naruto's knowledge of the way Sakura works was unbelieveably fascinating. These words of comfort rejuvenated Sasuke, making him feel like he had the world on his shoulders and knew just the right dose of magic to perform to solve certain problems. Smirking, he rose to his feet, not without nodding his acknowledgement at Naruto, his hand subconsciously squeezing the canned Coke, before exiting the room.

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"When will Mama wake up?" The little Sarada asked the person behind her, not taking her eyes off her mother's face. Ino was on the other side of the bed, only suddenly realising the gravity of the situation. On this bed, lies the very person she had called that morning; the very person that had sounded hale and hearty on the phone. She touched her hands underneath the white sheets. They were soft and tender.

One could imagine the pain she must be feeling.

Mebuki stood beside Sarada, watching Sarada stroke her mother's arm. "Soon, dear. Very soon." She said, in response to Sarada's enquiry. "Your mother needs to rest for now so that she can go home soon."

Sarada mumbled. "What happened to her? Why is my Mama like this? She was okay this morning." In all honesty, her mother's face scared her. It lacked color and vivacity. Scarily, the image of her mother in her dream matched the very image before her. All she wanted was to hear her Mama's voice again, to hug her mama. No one had bothered to answer her query. It saddened her.

"Mama." She whimpered, tears at the verge of falling down her eyes.

Mebuki patted her on the back, bending to her level to hug her. Sarada did not return the embrace. Soft whimpers was all Mebuki heard behind her. "What happened to my Mama?"

She had not understood what was happening. Earlier, the tension meant nothing to her, seeing that she was a small kid who lacked emotional perception. The only thing she noticed was her Papa and the basic information she had was that her mother was in the theatre. However, she never dreamed that it was her mother that had caused the tense atmosphere minutes ago. When the doctor had left the emergency room to deliver his news to everyone, she found closure in her father's warmth, not understanding a word the doctor spoke. But now, looking at her mother all white and drained, she imagined what might have happened.

The iron door opened with a smooth, noiseless creak. From the corner of her teary eye, she saw her father come in with Naruto. On instinct, she left her grandmother and appeared on her father's side, advertising her wailing face to him. "Papa, why is Mama like that? What happened to mama?"

Sasuke swallowed his pity at the sight of his child. He found himself regretting his decision of letting her see Sakura. Perhaps, it was brutal, finding this side of her mother on a hospital bed. Silently, he lifted his daughter, who on instinct, buried her head in his neck, hiccuping and muttering nonsensical words. Patting her back little by little, he walked up to the bed, finally looking at his wife under a dimmer light, compared to the brightly lit hall that he had first seen her. "Your mama had an accident. She's asleep now but will be better soon."

Sarada raised her head, cranking her neck to Sakura's position, her mouth still wobbly. "She'll be okay, right?"

Smiling, Sasuke nodded. "Aa."

"Promise?" She needed reassurance. Heat rose at the depths of his chest at the emotions those two words held. He was not God but he sure as hell was not pessimistic, not with this situation. Knowing this fact, he nodded once lightly. "Yeah."

"Don't worry, Sarada. We'll cook something amazing for mama when she wakes up. Do you like that?" Ino butt in, gaining a quiet nod from Sarada.

Promise?

That was Uchiha Sarada. She sealed her deals with a promise. Everyone knew she was notorious for drawing promises from others. Maybe it was her way of finding comfort. Maybe it was her way of having her rest of mind. She calmed down the minute anyone swore to keep their promise and was a hardcore believer of upholding them. Somehow, Sasuke took pride in it. It showed that his daughter would grow to be principled, something the Uchiha lineage had always had in its blood.

He stayed by Sakura's side for sometime, often massaging her hand when it got cold by the air conditioner. Mebuki did the same. Sasuke had a feeling that his mother-in-law wanted him out of the room. Indeed, the woman, whose nuisance he had put up for years, was still as annoying as ever. He dispelled the feeling, not in the mood to ease her with nonsense pleasantries. Sarada fell asleep at some point and was with Ino. Sai arrived a few hours later, on getting the news. For the first time in Sasuke's life, he discovered that Sai could actually care about someone other than himself. Inojin remained silent, peering over the bed a little to see more than Sakura's face for minutes unending. Hinata had showed up too, along with Himawari and Boruto. She had used the opportunity to get Boruto to a doctor for a check-up and had visited Sakura in the process, holding Himawari to her chest as she let a few tears flow from the shock.

Time remained lost to Sasuke. Turn of events, on and on, but he could not tell exactly when. Infact, it was at this moment that he wondered where he had left his phone. In the car? The house? The ambulance? Wherever it was, it was for the best. He didn't want to be disturbed by work. He also did not want to give his mother-in-law reasons to fight with him again. He discovered how late it was when Hinata and Naruto left with Ino's family on their tale. Ino had offered to stay but Mebuki declined the request, stating that she had Inojin to take care of.

Now, only he and Mebuki were in the room, together with his sleeping wife and daughter. Had this been before his wedding, barely visible cold sweat would have covered husband neck in the form of anxiety. Had it been another day. But not this one. After being pointed at and accused by this woman, he figured that nothing he'd say would be enough explanation to satisfy her. "You can go home with Sarada. I will stay with my daughter." She suggested, her words directed to him with a hint of haughtiness. Efforts were strung to prevent a sneer from taking over the Uchiha's face. He feared his anger would get the better of him.

Mebuki straightened up. "You heard me, right?" Her eyes pierced Sasuke's face, although he refused to release Sakura of his attention. Unadulterated anger boiled within his torso, spreading threatenly to his tongue where four of his senses coaxed into speaking. Speaking hurtful words that was potent to their relationship. "Is it possible that you're ignoring me?" She scoffed. "Quite a nerve you have. Well, considering the failure of a husband you've come to be, your attitude is to be expected."

The Uchiha swallowed. Involuntarily, he tightened his grip on Sakura's wrist. White teeth gnashed behind the curtains of his thin lips, loosening bit by bit as he breathed in and out to control his flow of emotions. On noticing his irate state, he relented, feeling a sting of guilt upon noticing how color returned to the spot he had once squeezed on his wife's hand. Calmly, he smoothed the area with his thumb, caressing it.

"You must be tired. I'll drop you and Sarada at home to rest."

Mebuki hissed. If only her eyes could narrow more than the slit they were. "Don't try to evade this, Uchiha."

His dark eyes eventually observed hers. Hers were laced with inane anger; his were laced with pained frustration. "What did I ever do to you?" He started, securing Sakura's hand underneath the white sheets. "I thought we had smoothen things out."

"Shockingly, I thought so too. But that was until you were careless with my daughter and soon-to-be grandchild."

Struck by those words, he moved from his wife's side to the middle of the room, running hard fingers through his raven locks in controlled rage. Her choice of words were a blow to him. Earlier, when Naruto and Ino had volunteered to stay with them, he initially entertained the idea but turned their offers down. For this very reason. To have the necessary heart to heart with his in-law. Rueful, he wished he had accepted their artless offers.

"Why do you keep saying that?" His words contained mild exasperated. "Why is it so easy for you to think that I'd hurt Sakura, intentionally?"

Heavy were the hatred in the orbs hurdled at the raven-haired man. High level of antagonism itched her throat as she glared at her daughter's husband, inwardly trying to pour out whatever emotion she'd kept hidden the past years. Frankly, she had no qualms with him. If she were to be honest with herself, he was the last person that deserved her crude treatment, yet he was, however, the only person she could vent her anger out.

"We didn't know about the baby. I had no hand in what happened to Sakura, okay? I mean, what do you take me for?"

 _Someone true to himself._

 _Someone my daughter loves._

 _A kind human._

These were answers her mind gave in response. Regardless of the stupid havoc her mouth and body were causing, evident in the completely opposite reaction her mind was getting, she let go of all sanity as she chased whatever point she was trying to make with her hostility. Candidly, out of this situation, had the same thing happened to her daughter, she would not have found any reason to attack Sasuke. But she had to vent her years of frustration out on someone. And that someone, innocently, had to be Sasuke. Sadly, she saw herself reverting to the old Haruno Mebuki; that old nagging woman that everyone and everything grew tired of. That even her own daughter pushed aside, forlorn. She was that woman. One way or another, she owned up to it.

"Funny how you talk so freely, given what you did to my daughter." She snarled. All hopes of having a civil conversation was gone and buried in the dirt.

"Miss Mebuki, I just don't get you." He raised his voice a tiny bit. "All those years, trying to get Sakura to talk to you and let you into her life, all those times I called to keep you updated...they feel so useless now."

"Oh really?" Mebuki derided.

Sasuke did not care. Getting on the offensive. "Now, I understand why she did what she did. Everyone's a pushover to you." Her eyes darkened a bit

Dark brows furrowed with more anger. "Blaming me for her accident, isn't that a bit too much? Did I push her? It's not like you heard the whole story before you pinned the whole blame on me. I've done everything, and have been understanding with you, but you've been nothing but overbearing-"

"Overbearing?!" She sliced in, bewildered.

"- and high-handed."

"I will _not_ be disrespected like-"

But he cut her off with a scoff. "But it's okay if I am, remember? It's wrong if it's done to you but never wrong if it's me or anyone else?" His voice, low with ice.

"You finally show your true colors," she sneered, "because no one can take note. I've always had the feeling that you were not right for my daughter. Do you know what I passed through to raise her? To give her a good life, only to let-"

"Yet, she left you so easily." He interjected. "Because none of your sacrifices mattered to her if you didn't put her best interests at heart."

She left Sakura's side, taking steady steps towards the Uchiha. Their eyes collided in a cold war, each ravaging the other with a smoldering intensity that was enough to subdue a wild animal. "Her best interest at heart? Pray tell, what would that be? What was it?"

His lips were sealed. They both knew the answer to that question, but Sasuke could not risk another loose tongue.

"And who are you to lecture me on such a topic?" She ventured, stopping few feet away from him. "A boy; an orphan, whose love for family has long been forgotten." That struck a nerve in Sasuke and she saw it from the hardening of his eyes and how firm his jaw stilled. "You want to tell me about my daughter? Do you have her best interests at heart?"

Unbridled anger flashed in his features, but he maintained his silence. "Tell me. All of you, her friends, do they have her interests at heart?" Her body shook. From the outlook, tgrough his hardened gaze, he saw a mix of emotions in her exterior- pain, anger, sadness and a hint of desperation. Tears trickled down her face as she talked. Now, her tone had changed. The former anger was one of real rage but this kind was one of pain and frustration.

Similarly, Sasuke's furrowed brows relapsed, calming his hard gaze-

"You all called my Sakura crazy."

\- before completely relaxing. All rage receded between the two of them in exchange for understanding and pain. Finally, he got the explanation he'd been seeking- the reason for Mebuki's inane anger towards him. He understood. Looking from the old woman's point of view, she had to defend her daughter. The world looked like it was ganging up on her and on instinct, she'd turned to mama hen who sought protection for her chicks.

"All of you," she accused with her finger, nearly sobbing, "everyone believes that she needs mental help. Tell me, are you excluded from this? Were you of a different opinion? Answer me!"

Sarada stirred on the chair, still asleep. Sasuke did a once-over on her to ensure she was still asleep. "Let's not have this conversation here." He pleaded silently. Afraid that the little girl might hear things she was not expected to listen to.

"Typical." Semi-wrinkled hands rubbed at wet eyes vexingly. "Quiet Uchiha. Clueless Uchiha. Nothing's fazed me with your behavior."

"Sarada's here. We can't -"

"We can't what?" She taunted. "We can't let her know that you reached your conclusion, right? We can't have your daughter know that you've entertained the idea of sending her mother to a mental institu-"

Sasuke butter in, harshly. Not comprehending the insinuation. "I never said that."

"No, but your actions did. I'm a parent after all. Ah, I had expected better from you." Her head shook in disappointment. Meanwhile, Sasuke had nothing to say, nothing to back himself with. She was right after all; he entertained the idea and had not sat down to have the discussion with his wife. He was guilty as well. One of them, like she classified. "Go home. With Sarada. I'll stay the night with my daughter." Authority snaked her tone even though her face was turned away from his to her daughter's. She moved to the chair beside Sakura, hands gripping the side of the bed. "Come back tomorrow. Get Sarada something to eat and a proper change of clothes." She ordered once again, making Sasuke feel worthless.

Quietly, he did as she ordered, casting one last glance at his unmoving wife before leaving.

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Black heels clicked against tiled cream flooring, rapping in supercilious strides, matching the innards of the woman who wore them. Tsunade tacked the last corner of the hall, halting in front of a thick steel door. A mild squeak emitted from the bottom of the door as she slid it open. "Shizune." She called as she welcomed herself into the woman's office.

Apparently, her free day was not as free as she expected. With Sakura's accident, the hospital figured a board meeting was necessary in the case where Sakura's duties would be 'halted' by her unexpected incident. Quietly, she prayed the sly Kabuto had no hand in the matter because if that were the case, he would receive hell from her. It was hasty and not needed. Kabuto evaded her after surgery for reasons unknown to her whils she had to answer the table.

Annoying! She cursed within herself.

In addition, there was hardly enough time for her to check up on Sakura; and maybe caution Mebuki for her unruly behavior.

Shizune straightened up. Rummaging the documents on her table, feigning hard work or so Tsunade thought. "Miss Tsunade!" Her voice shook with alarm. "Any news?"

Tsunade folded her arms at the threshold of the brightly-lit office. "My words exactly. Where is Kabuto?"

"I heard he was paged for another surgery."

"That was hours ago." Tsunade shot back.

"But I left a message telling him to report to you afterwards."

"Am I to believe that it was delivered or that that sly doctor is avoiding me?" Her hand gripped the metal knob of the steel door.

"Well -"

"Ouch, that hurt the sly doctor." Kabuto's voice derided from behind Tsunade. "Showing gratitude isn't one of your qualities, is it?"

"Gratitude my foot. My goodness, you're quite a handful." She slid the door shut. "As you were, Shizune."

"For what reason was I being hunted?" Kabuto questioned with his hands in the pockets of his lab coat.

"I need Sakura's medical reports." She requested, securing her arms underneath her full chest.

Kabuto smirked, goading Tsunade with the eyes behind his round specs. "We both know that can't happen."

Tsunade's eye twitched. "Don't be mistaken. That wasn't a request."

"On what grounds, Doc? She's my patient and my responsibility. All her documents are what I'd say, 'confidential'."

Tsunade's pinched the bridge of her nose. "Don't test me, Yakushi. Might I remind you that this is my hospital."

"Yes, it is, under Mrs. Uchiha Sakura's name. And with all due respect, you're already in a precarious position with the board. Don't add to the pile of queries they have against you."

"That's cute, but let me worry about my ass by myself. Quit being annoying."

"Oh, I'm actually looking out for myself. Your request will cost me my own -"

"Kabuto." Tsunade punched, elaborating the urgency of the situation. But she knew him all too well. Nothing moved him. Not even his superiors. He'd made it this far in the hospital because of his expertise. Same factor was common knowledge to all the staff, him included. This aroused his confidence, giving him an awful sense of pride to move the board and walk all over the pride of other doctors in the building. Especially Tsunade, who was also one of those at the high stratum of the board.

Resigning, Tsunade heaved a sigh to calm her headache. "At least give me a proper rundown on her condition."

Kabuto sighed also. "She suffered a broken arm, a mild concussion and few blisters and bumps. Oh, and she lost her baby."

"About what you said," Tsunade ventured, finding the right words to voice out. "The foetus was crushed. How?"

"Hmmm," Kabuto's white brows furrowed. "Exactly what it meant. There was no lump whatsoever. The remains were more like pulverized flesh and blood without pieces of lumpy flesh."

"I'm inclined to believe that wasn't a joke?"

"Well, with my job and license on the line, why would I pull such a stunt? Medically, I know it's impossible for something like that to happen."

"Do you think she ingested something harmful, say, a drug, perhaps. That may have squashed the foetus in such a way?"

"Frankly, I do not think so. If that were still the case, we'd have seen a pound of dead foetus inside her, despite how little it was. But there was nothing." He stopped, recollecting something that had passed through his mind when he was in the theatre. "How did she fall?"

Tsunade, taken aback, blinked a few times. "I don't know. Nobody knows. She was found in that state. Why?"

"Nothing. I wondered if she tripped or simply... fell." His expression was slack, almost indifferent.

"Care to elaborate?"

"If she had missed a step, it would have resulted in minor injuries. Worst case scenario, she would have lost her child with little effect on her body. Maybe body pain at the long run or a sprain or strain; like every other slip and fall back injuries I've encountered as a doctor. But, if she fell, with force, the impact would have been heavy on both the mother and child."

"By falling with force? What are you trying to say?"

"Her 'minor concussion' was just a theory." A nerve gradually crept Tsunade's face at his words and posture. He checked his watch, as if what he was doing was a waste of his time. As if the words he spoke were on the average and normal.

"What do you mean, a theory? Minutes ago, you cared about your job and license, now, you're telling me that you falsified her diagnosis?"

"In all honesty, I'm a very sensitive person. Words you speak tears me apart you know." Kabuto mocked, placing his hand on his chest. "I didn't falsify anything. On the contrary, something about that woman didn't seem right."

"Watch your tongue, twit."

"Pardon me." He surrendered. Pushing his glasses to his face firmly, he continued. "Permit me to explain. When she was wheeled into the ER and while I was prepping, her eyes were opened. And that was not the information I was given by the EMTs. Kora's assessment from the ambulance completely differed with mine in the operating room. It appears her pupils were already declared 'fixed and dilated', her body was cold; I assume it was because of the duration of time she was in that state, and she had a weak pulse."

Tsunade's hands froze by her sides, her eyes wide. Being a doctor herself, she understood exactly what she heard. How possible was it for a brain dead patient to wake up while in such a situation. It almost sounded like Sakura had been in a state of hibernation, or in this case, aestivation. But being brain dead one minute and alive the next was almost impossible, if not completely insane.

"Surreal, isn't it?" The white haired doctor continued. "At first, I thought Kora's evaluation had been wrong but if her partner had said the same thing, as well as the nurses, then Sakura had to be lying to them. Upon noticing how she moved her eyes, with tears falling on each side, it was ghostly. Maybe she wanted to see her dead baby before dying herself. You know all kinds of drama that happens in the theatre that goes beyond science. That was when I noticed she was concussed."

"Suddenly, out of the blue, one of the nurses told me her pupils weren't constricting again. They had apparently dilated again but her oxygen level remained normal. Again, against normal circumstances. And that was the last of it, until she opened her eyes and blinked once more. Surgery began soon afterwards when we shocked her with anaesthetic. That was when I wondered what might have caused her condition. Whether it was a normal slip and fall back incident or a push incident."

But Sasuke had ruled that out-

Or so she thought. He had never thought of that possibility. There was no time for him to have thought of that. Everyone was shocked by the news, having no room to think of such a thing.

"No internal bleeding, right?" Tsunade asked, rubbing goosebumps away from her skin.

"Also shocking. Negative."

"Then why suggest it wasn't a slip and fall back?"

"Her drift between consciousness and unconsciousness, her broken arm, pulverized foetus, swollen legs and potential body strain suggests force. For her body to respond like that also, stiff and cold, could pinpoint shock from the fall. Well, it's all just a theory, none to be taken seriously." He readied his legs to leave, pinning his hands in his pockets again. "She'll be on bed rest for a few days. Give or take 7 - 10 days. No bright lights in her room also, and a correct dose of painkillers will handle her recovery. I don't know if she really suffered a severe concussion because it could determine how long she'd be in that sleep-state. But we'll monitor her. Don't worry."

"Kabuto-"

"Please, give me a break, would you. I've done so much already for you. What I need now is my bed. My bed is in my house...get the logic?"

Had she handled Sakura, her emotions would have gotten the best of her. Shizune was right, letting it slide was for the best and Yakushi handling the situation was the best decision. "Thank you."

Kabuto smirked, continuing his sojourn. "Don't mention." He waved off. "Oh and by the way, it's Doctor Kabuto or Dr Yakushi, if you please; I deserve that much."

But Tsunade turned the other way, not minding him. If something was off like he suggested, then she'd have to look deeper into it.

 **Author's note**

 _Ooooooooohhhh! Tsunade in action. What will they unravel. Mebuki is soooo annoying if you ask me! A real old woman. Poor Sasuke._

 _What a long day! Thanks ror the read. Now, I'll hand the keyboard over to you guys for the reviews. Let's hear it! Let's see it! Let's read it! Let's know it!!!_

 _Stay tuned..._


	13. Chapter 12

_Thank you all for the reviews. Here's another piece. Enjoy..._

 **CHAPTER 12**

Pallid described his current mental state. Nothing would have prepared him for a day like this; a day in which he'd have to sleep in his big house- his big room- without his partner. He had grown accustomed to having her leave the room after a fight or her spending the night in her study for overnight work. His phone buzzed for the umpteenth time that night with business and work notifications but his thinking remained unperturbed. Sarada laid sound asleep beside him, releasing light snores, that sounded pleasant to Sasuke, from her nostrils. He dragged the sheets closer to her chest to divert the chilly wind from that area. Trees shuffled outside the house, in harmony with the howling wind stirring in placid symphony.

For once in his tired life, sleep was foreign to him. Hauling himself from the bed, he padded out of his room to 'the scene'. Surrounding environment was cool, like a graveyard. Still he stood to be corrected. His house was grande, yet lonely. He'd figured that it was such loneliness that caused Sakura the unsettlement that she endured throughout the course of their arguments. Not her perception of things he never saw or felt.

The cold tile pinched his feet through his slippers as he squatted at the mouth of the stairs where Sakura had fallen. Below this very flight, his wife had nearly lost her life. This short flight almost claimed her. A mixture of wet coldness and iron hit him from his position on the floor.

 _It was his fault!_

She claimed. But how? What did he ever do wrong as a husband? As a father? His best was not appreciated by everyone, including his mother-in-law. He sighed tiredly. Fresh wave of cool breeze blew past him as he stood, sauntering to the end of the hall. Vaguely, he recalled the night he'd seen Sakura on the same spot, splayed on the floor after screaming her lungs out. No matter how he looked at it, something crazy always happened to her in this building.

 _But is it the building or is it her?_

He caught himself wondering. Surely, he knew the scientific and logical answer to his musings. Yet, why be so bothered by it? Hair stood on his skin upon coming in contact with another rush of wind. His loose navy blue shirt did no justice in this weather. Silently, he left for his room, inwardly cursing the cold. It was summer, wasn't it? But why did everything seem eerie?

Discarding all sick thoughts, he snuck into his sheets, feeling the warmth of his daughter as she smuggled closer to him. He welcomed her with his arm. Stroking her black locks with his fingers while in silent thoughts.

Sleep had yet to welcome him. However, images of Sakura, all cold and bloodied, worried him. Distantly, he wondered what her current state was, if she had awakened or given a sign or movement of some kind. He wondered the kind of pain she must be feeling. How lonely she must have felt at first. How scared to death she must have been.

On the contrary, he too, was scared to death. Only that his mother inlaw thought nothing of it. Viewed it as non-existent. He'd almost lost his family. Again. Now, he wished to offer the best support he could ever give to his wife.

 _That was what she needed. That's what you can be._

He recollected Naruto's advice. Friend. The only thing he could be to her. Maybe it was the only thing she needed before, but no one else saw that.

Desperate to put a stop to his contemplations, he forced his eyes shut. Only to reopen them at the thought of one annoying woman in the form of Mebuki Haruno. Never in his life had he felt the urge to hit something... or someone. She was one of the people that saw a lost cause in him- one of the people that knew about his history. He felt worthless whenever she antagonised him. Frowning in annoyance, he visualized those eyes of hers which were just as piercing as her words. Their exchange tonight was a sign of his budding hatred towards the woman. Not that he'd bother to show it or anything. At this point, he'd rather not risk any family drama, especially if he and his wife still had their misunderstanding to clear.

Once again, he shut his eyes to the rest of the world. Not sure if he'd catch that sleep after all.

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Interesting fact; this was in fact, the first time Sasuke was left to handle Sarada's daily ritual. Hot baths were one of the few things he remembered he ever partook in with his daughter, as well as breakfast. But as far as his macho went, closet-calls were never on his bucket list. It wasn't something he fancied or dreamed of doing, but in contrast, it happened to be something his daughter cherished. And he found the fact shocking.

That was why his mouth stood slightly agape the minute his eyes had trailed the messy pile of clothes on the floor of Sarada's room. Few minutes, less than ten, to be exact, was enough for him to leave the little Uchiha to prepare breakfast and stumble upon her creative mess of a room. What surprised him the most was how he found the adorable scene picturesque. Sarada was growing up to be just like his fashion driven wife.

Her facial expression was as muddled as the pile, as she rummaged it before noticing her father at the entrance. "Papa, I can't find my puffy blue gown." She cried, almost tripping on something.

Sasuke sighed. "What blue gown?"

"You know!" She accused as if he did, earning a stupefied look from her father. "The one Mama bought for me for Chocho's grandma's birthday party."

 _No, he did not know_. He claimed inwardly.

"With the large bow at the back." She continued with her description as she searched. "I also wore it for my recital. You know the one." Once again, she stipulated, obtaining a more puzzled look from her father.

Again, he had no idea what she was talking about.

Still, he extended his help, rummaging through the pile in search of something he could not even identify. Sakura better get ready to arrange this mess when she gets back. But on a more serious note, this was a complete waste of his time. Not when Sakura was still in the hospital and he had no update whatsoever of her condition. Still, at the moment, he had to help Sarada overcome her closet crisis. Pulling a piece of blue clothing from the pile, he held it up to Sarada. "Is this it?"

Sarada, however, flashed him a look that had ' _Really Papa?'_ written all over, as if he were the dumbest person that couldn't decipher the most trivial thing. "That's a jumpsuit, Papa."

 _A what?_

The 'jumpsuit' was out of his hand and in the pile before he blinked. Her attention was away from him the next minute. She muttered to herself, frowning. "How can you not know what a jumpsuit is?"

 _Seriously?_

He wondered internally, dumbfounded. This was too much to handle. Finally, he spoke.

"Why can't you wear something else? Maybe it's dirty."

"I want to wear it so that Mama can see how pretty I am. Keep looking." She ordered, not casting her eyes on him once.

"Sarada, just put on something else." He maintained, "So that we can leave already."

His daughter refused to listen.

"I will go on my own if you don't listen." He threatened, using his last card.He hoped it worked this time.

This drew her attention. She stomped her feet, sulking. "No fair!"

He smirked a little. His pride flowing like the ocean on discovering that he still got it. "Put this on." He picked a pair of jeans and a lemon green shirt. "And clean this mess."

Sarada looked at the offer, pouted and turned it down. "That shirt is too itchy and I don't like jeans."

For the love of all things bright and good, Sasuke was about to lose it. "Then this." he grabbed a black flay gown.

"Ew!" She rejected. Sasuke scowled, annoyed.

"What's wrong with it?"

"It's too dark."

"Just wear it with your pink sandals."

"Grandma told me not to wear too much dark clothes. And that I'd sweat if I wore black in summer."

He doubted a rule like that existed. Maybe it was against the sacred tradition of his loving mother-in-law. Bless his daughter for giving him an indirect heads up, for if she had worn something that might be against Mebuki's culture, there was no way he could expect her perception of how worthless he was as a parent to diffuse. Quietly, he put the gown aside, picking another one. But Sarada snatched it from him. "Don't bother, Papa. I'll pick something myself. You're bad at this."

Willingly, he left her to her devices. "Be quick." His tone, strict, authoritative, gave no room for complaints. He smirked in confidence as she complied with that cute pout he knew and loved.

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"Is it okay for me to move around while I'm sick."

"You're not sick...not like befo- _Ow!"_

"Honey!" Hinata reprimanded her husband with a pinch. "Don't worry sweetie, we'll get you checked up, then visit your aunt Sakura."

"I don't want that!" Boruto complained.

"Don't want what?"

"Sarada will see me."

"So what?" Naruto brushed off. "She'd be happy to see you."

"But I'm covered in lotion - _Ow!_ " Boruto cried, rubbing at the new red sore spot.

"What happened?" Hinata faced the children at the back seat.

"Himawari pinched me!" He prepared his retaliation. "She's so stubborn."

Hinata intervened before her son could do anything. "Boruto, stop that. What have I told you about hitting your sister?"

Boruto sulked. "But she _started_ it."

"Still, she's your little sister. The best you can do is talk to her." Hinata lectured. "Himawari, don't pick on your brother. He's still strong."

"Buh you aww-ways pinch Papa, Mama." The little girl chided, rubbing her index fingers against each other innocently.

Naruto laughed as he drove. "Mama doesn't pinch me, sweetheart." He said, trying to diffuse the issue.

"Then whah does she dwo, Papa?"

Naruto blinked. He did not know it would come to this. Shyly, he peeked at his daughter through the mirror. Only to see how she peered at him underneath the security of her seat belt with cute and curious cerulean eyes. Boruto looked at his father with dull, unimpressed eyes. Sometimes, he wondered if he was his or Sasuke's child.

"She...tickles me." He replied.

Internally, he smacked his head. So far, he had always shown the uncool part of himself to his son. Already, Boruto was influenced by the 'politicians are bad people' notion in school. He blamed his friends and most of his teachers for it. Being a politician himself, it hurt his pride to see his son unimpressed by him, his father.

"Weeally?" Himawari slurred through incomplete set of baby teeth, disbelieving. "Is that thruue, Mama?"

Hinata simply chuckled in her spot on the passenger's seat.

"Of course not!" Boruto interjected. "Dad's lying."

Himawari frowned.

"Let's just go home." Boruto pleaded, picking up his earlier rant.

"We're going to the hospital." Hinata sliced, allowing no further arguments with her tone. "Your aunt Sakura got into an accident. Won't you pay her a visit?" Boruto faced the window and crossed his arms, rebellious.

"We've arrived everyone." Naruto announced.

The family entered, eventually taking Boruto for his evaluation before heading for Sakura's room. Hinata brought with her, a bento filled with assorted dishes and a get-well-soon pillow. A plushy green cushion pillow adorned with floral designs. Mebuki received their gifts wholeheartedly, setting the pillow underneath Sakura's arm.

"Any changes yet?" Naruto asked, standing beside the bed.

Mebuki shook her head, caressing her daughter's arm. "I'm afraid, none. The doctor said it's because she was concussed. Apparently, the severity of the concussion determines the duration of time she remains unconscious."

"It's been three days now. And we were told that she'd be like this for 24hours max. Are you sure that doctor knows what he's doing?" Naruto's worry drew a smile from Mebuki. It made her happy. Knowing that her daughter was surrounded by good people. Although she could hardly say the same for her son-in-law.

"No no," she dismissed. "Even Tsunade confirmed it. And besides, Sakura has been moving her fingers little by little. I have faith that she'll wake up soon."

"That's refreshing to hear. But why are the curtains down?" Hinata asked.

Boruto stood beside the bed also. His aunt looked so pale in the dim room. Himawari did the same from her father's arms. The bed was too high for her to see.

"The doctor said the rays may not be good for her eyes. That's why the lights are off. Daytime like this, we leave them off since light reflects from outside. At night, I use the lamp over there," she pointed to a desk at the far end of the room, "and there's always reflection from outside too."

The couple nodded their heads in understanding.

"And Sasuke? Where is he?" Naruto questioned, letting his daughter down.

"Not here, as you can see." She tried her best to hide her haughtiness but Naruto and Hinata were quick to notice it. "Maybe he's in his office. Working."

"No, he told me he was on his way here. I thought he'd beat me to it."

"Maybe he got a call from work." Mebuki insinuated.

Hinata smiled unsurely, trying to calm the near raging storm within Mebuki. "No, he won't do that."

"Of course he won't." Mebuki mocked, tucking Sakura's bed to hide her displeasure.

Naruto sighed. "Miss Mebuki, please be easy on him. He's the most affected person here."

"So I'm not affected, is that it?"

"That's not what Naruto meant." Hinata defended.

Tiny legs bounced at the entrance behind Naruto and his wife and shouted. "We're here!" The happy voice of Uchiha Sarada beamed.

"Welcome darling." Mebuki greeted with a big smile. The happiness stressed on her lips diminished upon noticing Sasuke.

"Good morning, grandma. Uncle Naruto, Aunt Hinata."

"Good morning dear." Mebuki responded, as well as Hinata.

"Morning Sarada." Naruto smiled at his friend. "Took you long enough. What caused the hold-up?"

Sasuke scowled at the memory, handing Sarada a bundle of white rose flowers. "Someone decided to pick today to have closet issues." Hinata chuckled, recalling the times Sakura had complained about the same thing. "And Papa was not helpful at all. Not like Mama." Sarada divulged. Naruto laughed, Boruto scoffed on the chair, Sarada ignored it. A nerve twitched within Sasuke's face. Yet Mebuki found the situation unamusing, quietly tucking her daughter in the bed.

"Yet your gown is still beautiful." Sarada beamed at her aunt Hinata's complement. Boruto rolled his eyes.

"Thank you Aunt Hinata. I picked it out myself." Her chin was raised with pride. "Here grandma." She held the bouquet out to Mebuki. "It's for Mama."

The woman's eyes glittered. Smiling, she accepted them and put them in the ceramic vase on the table in the ward.

"Did Mama wake up yet?" Sarada asked. Expecting good news. Just for that dream to be shattered along with the distressed look on Mebuki's face. "Not yet dear."

Her lips wobbled. On instinct, her frame turned to the one person in the ward that she felt offended her. "You promised, Papa. You said Mama would be up soon."

A light frown marred her father's features. Now, even his own daughter had a bone to pick with him. Again, something that went beyond his control, happened to be his fault. Who did he offend? He perused within himself. Where did he go wrong? To be on the receiving end of everybody's offloaded grief. The anger Sarada sent through her eyes pained him. To think that his little girl would also find fault in his ways. He made her this promise on the day of the accident. The day he was told, along with everyone in the waiting room, that Sakura would rest for a day in the least. Such assurance was what boosted his confidence and made him promise his daughter. But what could he do when the heavens were against him? Sarada only worked with promises and that was what he knew his daughter to be. Yet, once again, he'd seemingly lied to her by not keeping his promise.

He saw how Hinata quieted her and how Mebuki tried to explain to her. But he was tired of feeling useless. She was his kid. Whatever the confusion was, whatever mess he created, he had to clean it up and clear the air because she was his own responsibility. Not theirs.

In like manner, he attempted to quell her anger but she refused to look at him. He figured he'd have to talk to her later. Truly, he was a shy person when it came to speaking his feelings and playing daddy, not that he'd mentioned it to his wife or anything. Minutes later, the Uzumakis left after stressing their support to Mebuki, who smiled wholeheartedly like they were her in-laws. Sasuke inwardly sneered at the woman's tactics, not buying her generosity one bit. He escorted Naruto out. That was when his blond friend gave him the go to talk to his daughter, although it was something he'd plan on doing initially when he had the privacy needed. His only problem was having Mebuki in the room with him. Honestly, he did not want to fight anymore. Maybe he would if his wife joined him, but for now, he decided to lay low and stir off his mother-in-law's coast. Prevention, they say, is better than cure.

The ward was silent. Gentle wind escaped from underneath the dark curtains that shielded the rest of the room from unnecessary rays of light. Outside, the hospital was an array of bright lights, bustling nurses with trays and doctors in white lab coats. Sarada sulked her way through the thick silence on the small cushion at the end of the room, pictured adjacent to Sakura's bed. Her father observed Mebuki from the threshold. Said woman was too busy hogging his wife to take account of the awkwardness. Twinges of cold embossed the palms buried in his pocket. Plain and simple, nothing was about to ruin his day. Not this sick atmosphere.

For a millisecond, guilt fizzled in him like effervesce at the sight of Sakura. Something pricked him. As if there was something he was overlooking, or something he overlooked. But what? The conversation he had with Tsunade, fresh and sound in his memory, unleashed this guilt. Like an enzyme, it travelled to his brain, and hurt his heart. What clues did he miss in Sakura's case?

Speaking of the devil, Tsunade zoomed in, nodding at Sasuke in acknowledgement. The busty lady had sought Sasuke the previous day to discuss her findings pertaining the surgery. Same findings sowed the seed of his guilt.

"Mebuki, may I have a word?" She requested beside Sasuke at the door. She left Sakura's side as requested. Precarious. Confused. Her eyes travelled between Sasuke's and Tsunade's, checking for some connection before she completely disappeared from the room with Tsunade. Adrift, Sasuke was left to ponder on his last conversation with Tsunade, with his eyes locked on Sakura.

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 _"Sasuke. I'd like to speak with you." Curious, the ears of Mebuki and Ino stood at the call while Inojin and Sarada proceeded with their exchange, ignorant of the person that stepped into the room. "In private."_

 _Sasuke was taken aback, all the same. Since morning, they had waited for Sakura to open her eyes like they were_ _told she would. All to know avail. And now, he was summoned by the head doctor, for whatever possible reason. Was it more bad news? His heart and mind were forced to uncover that proposition. Bearing the weight of what was to come._

 _"Is something wrong?" His ever fastidious mother-in-law poked her nose in._

 _"At all. Don't worry, I just need him for something."_

 _"Is Sakura going to be okay?" Ino put forward, drawing her wool jacket to her chest. "She hasn't woke up yet."_

 _"Just give it time. Her body's still healing." Tsunade explained, her voice raspy at the end. "I wouldn't worry if I were you. The worst is over. Sasuke." She more ordered before leaving the room._

 _On several occasions, Sakura had been the one to handle her aunt whenever she visited or whenever they visited her. They both had their alone times, alone from him and never with him. Never had reversed been the case. Which is why he acted confused at the serious stare that was directed at him in the hallway. "You wanted to see me?"_

 _"Yes. I did a little research and like Dr Yakushi said, something didn't add up in Sakura's case."_

 _More heartache. More shocking discoveries. Is Sakura never going to be okay. His breath hitched, throat clogged and hands twitched. What was she talking about?_

 _Tsunade's paid no mind to his moment of unrest. "The injuries she sustained were too severe for an ordinary slip and fall accident."_

 _"What?" He was surprised on how choked his voice almost sounded. Almost._

 _Hazel eyes screened the Uchiha with scrutiny, as if gathering knowledge from his forehead. "Was anything missing in your house? Jewelry? Money? Anything?"_

 _Deeply frowning and confused, Sasuke shook his head. What was she talking about. "Where are you going with this?"_

 _"I'm trying to understand something. Hope you know how grave her accident was?" Sasuke did nothing. Instead, his eyes responded in affirmation. The woman saw it. "What happened to her?"_

 _Sasuke sighed, having to relay the same message again did nothing to soothe him. Still, he talked. "She fell."_

 _"How?"_

 _Irritated, he almost growled but didn't for the sake of courtesy. He had no idea where this conversation was going. "I_ _don't know. I just saw her at the bottom of the first flight of stairs."_

 _"Haah." Her response surprised him. It was all knowing, yet cooly slurred monotonously. "So you didn't see her fall?"_

 _"No."_

 _"Then maybe she didn't." She remarked. Mostly to herself._

 _"I don't understand."_

 _Tsunade went ahead to disclose her analysis. "Let me paint two scenarios for you. The first; a slip and fall accident. Usually, what the stair is made of, whether wood, tile or rug, is useless information since they produce similar results. A twisted ankle, back pain, tissue tear, head trauma among others are the most common effects of falling down the stairs. In many cases, the victims always end up conscious at the end of the fall. Concussions may occur even when they are conscious and self medication can still be an option."_

 _"You said she fell the first flight, meaning that she fell like seven, eight steps. Not much to cause a big accident but still enough to inflict body pain."_

 _Sasuke understood every word she spoke, digesting it to understand her main point._

 _"Does it not seem strange? I mean, she suffered a broken bone and heavy bruises. The tasks the parts of your body performs are sent to your brain for interpretation. If you're about to go down the stairs, even when your mind's not there, your legs acts in place of it. You take one step and your brain is fully aware of it. In essence, when you trip, your brain is aware of it. That's why you may struggle to gain bearing, due to the release of adrenaline in your system. When you fall, your body goes on the defensive, trying to shield important body parts. In like manner, few of those effects I mentioned earlier would likely occur, whether or not you remain unconscious."_

 _"And then you have the second, when you fall with force. Right definition would be to fall by a push."_

 _Realization knocked the Uchiha at what she was driving at. But that was impossible. No one was there. No one at all. Although, he never checked. He didn't have the have the time. Still, he could not believe it. "Are you saying- "_

 _"Yes." She nodded in affirmation. "When you are pushed, unexpectedly or during a scuffle or stampede, you will not be aware of it. Not on time. With force, you'd get pushed roughly, with hardly enough time to think of a proper defense. That's the time your brain let it's guard down. Though adrenaline pumps you into action but your body acts rashly. In the_ _long run, you'd have a few broken bones and maybe internal bleeding and head trauma. Worst case scenario, you can break your neck and die. It all depends on the magnitude of the stairs and the forced applied to the push. I wanted to be sure no one was there with her."_

 _"I- I didn't check. Seeing her there, I assumed she fell."_

 _"No one's blaming you, Sasuke. Just so you can be aware of my findings. At least she's okay and will wake up soon. We'll get the truth from her."_

 _He started, uncertain. "Are you- will you tell her mother?"_

 _"Mebuki? No. Not with her way of reasoning, no." After all, she knew the woman all too well. Sasuke would eventually be her dummy for target practice. Offering a rueful smile, she conceded. "Endure it for now. She's a pain in the ass, I'm aware."_

 _A severe pain._

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"Leave Sasuke alone."

"My goodness. You too?"

"I'm serious, Mebuki."

"Do you see me laying my hands on him every now and then?"

"Picking fights with him isn't worth it. You're simply adding more fuel to the fire."

"Don't lecture me, Tsunade."

"And don't test me." Tsunade warned. "Or have you forgotten that Sakura's still mad at you. Tell me, what do you think will happen if she finds out you've been hating on her husband?"

"It'd be too childish of him to report."

"And it's also childish of you to act unreasonably." Tsunade's chided. "There's a line, Mebuki. Don't cross it."

Her sister left her after ringing her warning. Shocking! That was all she wanted to say to her. Naruto probably mentioned something to her. Seriously, Uchiha Sasuke was all over the place. And still in the room, with her daughter and granddaughter. The family was complete. Even without her. The feeling of being left out was clear to her. As clear as day. Like she wasn't needed there. She could not boast of being close to her granddaughter or being fond of her son-in-law. In addition, her daughter lived years without wanting her. Doing the same for more years would be more than easy for her. Deciding to take the day off, in order to allow them have their alone time was for the best. True. Since all she did for the past two days was chase Sasuke so she could have her daughter to herself. Her selfish interest. All done because of her unreciprocated love for Sakura. Silently, she manoeuvred the bed, all the way to her handbag on a stool near the window. Picking the bag, she attempted to speak, trying to make her voice come out without the dryness that sucked her throat. "I have to go. You can stay the night with her."

Sadly, her ears were open to her words. How authoritative they sounded. How commanding her tone came out to be. What rights did she have? To tell him when he was allowed to see Sakura and when he wasn't. Old Haruno Mebuki was indeed an old fart. A smelling old fart.

 _You can stay the night with her._

The audacity. The effrontery of Haruno Mebuki knew no bounds. Still, he let it slide. Again. Like he let every of her insults slide in the past.

"I'll go to Tsunade's house to rest. Keep me posted on Sakura's condition."

 _Like she ever did that._ Sasuke mused.

Regardless, he nodded his head. The chill followed her out the door. Finally, he had his time with Sakura, and Sarada who watched the two of them with weary eyes from the couch. She avoided his gaze, merely rolling her eyes a little in anger. It was 3pm when she ventured into wonderland till night time. Hinata's bento served as lunch, and Sarada ate most of it.

While she was asleep, Sasuke watched her along with his wife. He missed this. Watching over the two of them. Although, he hated the hospital setting, contentment twirled within his guts. There were no plugs attached to Sakura. She breathed of her own free will. Her head was wrapped with few bandages, holding most of her pink locks in place. Her skin was pale and smooth. The miracle of having her chest heave at intervals rejuvenated him. The hospital, for once, was not cruel to him.

Roving his hard hands on the white sheets along her lower midriff, he flipped the white covering over, unmasking her legs that had been hidden. The hospital gown was short on her. Her once beautiful long legs were somehow unrecognizable to Sasuke. One looked slightly bigger than the other had a stitched gash wound and a big bump in the middle.

The injuries she sustained were too severe for an ordinary slip and fall accident.

Meaning she tumbled down the stairs. Could she have slipped on wet tiles? Impossible. She had a shoe on. She tumbled down the stairs, killing their baby in the process. He ran slick fingers down her legs, just before her reaching her feet.

Tired, guilt-ridden by what he was seeing, he covered her up, tucking the sheets back in place. Onyx eyes trailed over her left arm, the one which he presumed was broken due to the cast wrapped around it. Again with his monitoring, his eyes wandered her face. The dark blotch that dusted the side of her left eye had reduced in size, although not concealed.

Such imaginable affliction on such a small body.

"Papa?" Sarada called while rubbing her eyes, her head facing the ceiling with her back to the cushion.

Sasuke left Sakura's side at once. "I'm here." He assured, seating beside his daughter as she sat up. "Did you sleep well?"

Her moment of disorientation simmered, bringing her back to reality about her mother's state and her growing anger with her father. She hummed a yes. "And Mama?"

Sasuke followed her gaze to the bed. She got the answer she was looking for. Sasuke did not have to voice it out.

A moment's pause. "Are you hungry?"

Sarada shook her head sulkily.

"Tell me if you want something, okay?" Sasuke tried to get her talking, not liking the distressed look on her face. "We're going to spend the night with your Mama. You like that, right?"

Victory was his as he finally got her to peer black eyes at him. She looked so pitiful. He guessed it was time for their father-daughter talk. Night dawned, but the lamp helped illuminate the room. Breeze blew left, right and centre. Making everyone wonder if there would be a down pour later at night.

The night rush was bizzare. Patients were wheeled about, nurses ran helter-skelter with trays in their hands while doctors busied their hands with stethoscopes and notepads. The hospital was a market. Now, he understood why Sakura came home late those cold nights. Vainly, Sarada ended the cold war by resting her head on her father's shoulder.

He was grateful.

"I miss hearing Mama's voice." She ceded.

"Me too." Sasuke divulged.

"I'm still angry with you, Papa."

Sasuke smiled. A bitter smile. A pained one. "Because I lied to you?" He asked. Her head left his shoulder to point condemning eyes at him. "Now, why would I do that, Sarada?"

"I don't know." She hiked her shoulders for effect.

"Trust me. Mama will wake up soon."

"How long is soon?"

"Not long. Her accident was quite big. She's just sleeping, see?" He reassured, making her noticing how soundly her chest moved in and out. "Let her body heal first. Or do you want her to wake up with a body ache?"

She murmured. "No."

"Exactly. Right now, I can't tell what's going on in Mama's body. Only she knows. That's why she will be the one to wake up by herself."

"But," her voice shook. "But she's been sleeping for so long, Papa. And I've been having bad dreams."

Dark brows hiked with surprise. "Bad dreams?"

"Mm hmm." She nodded. "And Mama never gets up in those dreams."

The Uchiha patriarch sighed. "Forget about those things, Sarada." He offered a brave smile. "Mama's coming back."

"How sure are you?"

"A hundred percent." His tone sent the final message. Those words held more reassurance than promises. She beamed at him, returning to the very optimistic daughter she was just this morning. Happily, she wrapped her arms around him, burying her head in his chest, while she looked at her mother. "I love you, Papa!"

Pride swelled up in Sasuke. He finally did it. Finally set the record straight. Sarada's lean hands pinned his in place, making it impossible for him to return the embrace. Yet, he reached out with his words.

"I love you more."

Inwardly, Sarada squeaked at the expression. Growing up, she'd always heard people say that her father's actions spoke louder than his words. It didn't make sense to her. Until she'd asked her teacher in school what it meant. 'That is, showing emotions with your body than expressing them with your mouth or words', Miss Kurenai, one of her school teachers, put it to her in simpler terms.

 _I love you more._ Was an upgrade of ' _I love you'_ and ' _love you too_ _.'_

Sasuke allowed her to remain in that position. He felt her body relax in the embrace and saw how she took a better position on the couch. Her hair smelled nice under his chin. Like her mother's. How much of the two of them did she take after. Naruto often joked about her being just like him; brooding and arrogant around guys and the opposite around girls. Just like Sakura was too. They stayed still, longer than necessary. Also, Sasuke relaxed on the couch, taking the time to rest his head with Sarada's on his chest. He'd been on the chair all day because the little Uchiha occupied the couch.

Distantly, he felt himself lose to sleep. Third day and no work meant a hell lot of bed rest. Instead, he'd spent his days off in the hospital, the last place he'd want to be. Kakashi was once again in charge of the important paperwork. The man was the best. The best person he'd ever associated with. Slipping into the walls of unconsciousness, he let the cool breeze and sleep take him.

He felt the pressure on his chest relent before vanishing completely. Maybe Sarada was about to play games on his phone or seat beside Sakura. Either ways, his eyes were long gone to darkness and his body, weakened with sleep.

"Papa."

Her voice was acute, sudden and yet, distant. Like she was drawing his attention at something. His response was a low him before he drifted into semi-consciousness once again. That was, until he was shaken with force by a tiny hand. "Papa. It's Mama." Sarada called out once more, her bum on the edge of the cushion. "She's moving."

At those words, he was snapped back to reality. Full of instinct, he stood. A bad action on his part as he staggered a bit from vertigo. In a span of four strides, he was by Sakura's bedside. Sarada, by his side, peered over her mother's face.

"Mama?!"

Truly, she was moving her head, eyes shutting tightly before her eyelids rested, revealing disoriented emerald eyes to the rest of the world.

"Sakura." Sasuke called. Holding her left hand in his, careful with the broken upperpart of the arm.

Life returned to her dilated eyes at the recognition of the voices above her. Slowly, her head turned to the source of those voices. Sarada laughed, happy. "You're awake." She brought her face closer to her mother's. Sasuke watched on, happy himself.

Sakura sighed, a look of relieve on her face. Their eyes met at last. His onyx ones smiled, her emerald ones shed a tear.

She was back.

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 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

 _Yaaaaay! She's back. Sakura has no idea how lonely we've been without her._ _I hope you all enjoyed the Sasusara moment there. I know I did!_

 _Fun fact #1_ _: I know nothing about science and diagnosis. In essence, discredit whatever Tsunade said to Sasuke. Or run a better, proper research on slip and fall back accidents. What I wrote is my own diagnosis. So please, don't mind me._

 _Fun fact #2_ _: There's a possibility that the next update won't be as quick as this one. School is right around the corner. Gotta get my gear in order._

 _Fun fact #3_ _: Words can not explain my love for you readers and reviewers. I wake up daily expecting a dose of criticism, good or bad. I need to know what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong. Feel free to drop your reviews. I know a lot of people have dropped the Naruto ficdom because the anime has somewhat ended and most famous authors are now grown-ups with lifes to live. But those that still find solace in this place should show encouragement and support to others, readers and writers alike._

 _Anyhooo_ _, we part at this juncture_.

 _Stay tuned..._


	14. Chapter 13

_Hello everyone! A special thank you to all who reviewed. You're all loved, know that!_

 _Thank you **Ilegitim** for your wonderful review. **Lysergic** , thank you also for your constructive criticism. I'll be sure to get to the supernatural aspect as the story progresses. Thank you **Busephalus, Jazzy** and other guests for the reviews. I love you all. I hope you enjoy this new chapter._

 **CHAPTER 13**

 _The field was a warzone. Their chakra, to be precise._ _How frightened she had been upon learning that her soul was on the verge of fickling from existence. Nonplussed, she had acted with ease. Solving the problem with the tip of her finger, letting that fire burn, albeit, faintly until help arrived._ _And it did, in the form of Uchiha Sasuke. Misshaped chakra rushed like adrenaline through his veins, seeing what laid beneath._ _She watched from above them, silent as night, reviewing them with cold unabated eyes. A perfect love pair. An image flashed through memory with the features of Uchiha Sasuke affixed to it, both bearing a distant semblance to one another._ _Time has aged. And so had he. So had they._ _Soon afterwards, tumultuous chakra rapidly spread through the house. She sensed a mix of emotion in the core of the distortion. Anger, guilt, pain, frustration, self-pity and worst of all, fear, all singed into one human. Still she found no empathy. All was going according to plan._ _She ensured the human had a little fragment of her mind displaced. Unclear. So that she would be pushed to a tight corner by all she loved. Enduring the feeling of being titled deranged. Where no one understood her. Where belief was far from the people she held dear. The reaction of the household was as she dreamed. Frustrated and untrustworthy. She'd break whatever willpower the human had left. Break whatever bond they shared. And prepare for the final feast. The final ritual when all will be in place._ _In her tiny coven, she awaited company. Because so far, the expected one had yet to come._

* * *

 _"She's still asleep. That's what Miss Mebuki told me."_

Sasuke bustled around every nook and cranny of the room, double-checking to confirm he had all he was looking for. Sarada was probably doing the same as yesterday- making an effort to look presentable before her mother. With the phone glued to his ear by his shoulder, he answered Naruto on the phone. "She woke up last night. Just for a minute or so. Before going back to sleep."

 _"That's the best news I've heard all morning. But I'm sorry I can't make it over there."_ He sighed. _"I'm somewhere between Konoha and Suna for a conference. But tell Sakura that I'll visit her the minute I come back."_

"Will do."

 _"Okay, I have to go now. Call me if anything happens."_

"Hn."

After what Sarada deemed 'miraculous' happened last night, whatever unsettled feeling that pricked him for days dissipated. They both slept well that night until this morning when he had to drive Sarada home for a proper bath and change of clothes. Dr. Yakushi was beeped the minute Sakura woke up and he was told that the worst was finally over and that she would be fully awake in no time.

Now that he thought about it, he was reminded of their latent problem. The loss of their child. Should Sakura know about it at all? What good will breaking the news to her do? She would only suffer more heartache. Coupled with the physical injuries she sustained, an additional mental and emotional stress would break her. The kind of depression she'd faced after Sarada was born was of a small scale, talk less of a news like this.

Their pride and joy toddled into master's bedroom with a tired look on her small face and a towel slung on her shoulder. Her hair was damp and plastered on her face.

"Papa, help me zip my gown up." She requested, turning her back to him by the bedside.

He did as requested, doing a once-over on her attire. "Is this the blue gown you were looking for?"

She shook her head. "No."

When he'd done as she asked, she faced him with another request, shining cute obsidian eyes his way. "Help me comb my hair please."

"Why are you feeling lazy today?" He asked, because this was his first time doing the job.

"I'm just tired." She explained as he lifted the towel from her shoulder to dry the hair properly.

"Why? You slept like a baby last night." The comb dug through black tresses, smoothly and freely. "Are you hungry?"

"Nuh uh." Her head shook in response.

"Or do you want to sleep again?"

"I don't know. Is Mama going to wake up again?"

He replied acutely, resolutely. "Of course."

Sarada remained unconvinced. "Then why did she sleep again? Does this mean that she won't wake up for some days again?"

Sasuke placed the comb on the bed, and lifted his hands to her shoulder. "I promise you that she'll wake up."

"When?"

Smiling, he affirmed. "Very, very soon."

Silently, she hugged him, fixing damp locks on her father's shirt. He didn't mind. He didn't mind the sweet scent either.

* * *

How possible is it for a hospital this big to be unaffected by a Sakura Uchiha. Sasuke just realized that the woman was practically the owner of the place even on the sick bed. Sarada was in the safe enclosure of his wife's room. He had ventured out to search for a certain blonde woman to ask for a selfish request. No one was stationery wherever he went, wherever he turned. Shizune explained that it was due to the news of Sakura's potential awakening.

He could hardly believe it was true. He stopped in front of Tsunade's office before knocking and receiving the order to enter. A stack of documents were heavy on the table, along with a few medical textbooks and an open laptop.

"Sasuke." She greeted, mildly surprised. "I heard the news but have been unable to see her. Is she awake still?"

"No." He replied, taking the liberty to seat on the chair opposite hers. "But her doctor said she'd be a hundred percent again."

Tsunade nodded. "Good." Pushing the items that occupied her desk aside, she matted her fingers together, placed them on the table and leaned her weight on her arms. "I'm guessing you didn't come all the way to my office to relay that. What is it?"

Sasuke hit the hammer on the head immediately. "I have a favour to ask."

"By all means, ask it."

Not beating around the bush, he requested. "Don't tell Sakura about our lost child."

He more like low-key commanded, not voicing a 'please' in his request.

Tsunade considered, raising her interlaced hands to her chin as she closed her eyes in thought. "You're afraid she'll revert to her depressed state, right?"

The Uchiha nodded in affirmation. "You saw how serious it was the last time. This will only do more harm than good to her mental state."

"But you are aware she is a doctor too. One way or another, she'll eventually find out."

"That's why I came to you. Ensure she doesn't. Don't give her access to her medical records." He said bluntly, not thinking of what he was saying.

"Impossible. It's not in my power, Sasuke. She'll get her hands on it. Also, we can't scratch the fact that she had a miscarriage from her file. That would be falsifying medical reports. A crime itself that attracts a heavy penalty."

Sasuke slunk his head down. A million thoughts running through his head. There was no way. No way Sakura could avoid the truth.

"And unfortunately," Tsunade continued, "news of her miscarriage has gone round the hospital. It is inevitable, Sasuke."

How thin could these walls get? There was no escaping it this time. His only other option now was to pray for a good reaction from his wife. Maybe tears, lots of tears and acceptance for what had happened. But that would have been a different story, if she never had a weak mental wall from the get-go.

"Can you at least... wait till she's healed a bit more?" He recalled how pale and swollen had looked just the night before. The fall left a very big impact on her trail body. At least, it would be for the best if her body healed first before her mind suffered another breakdown. It appeared Tsunade saw reason behind his request, but sighed in resignation.

"I understand what you're driving at but at this point, it's out of my hands."

Sasuke raised a brow, slightly confused.

"I'm not her doctor, Sasuke. Dr Yakushi is." Sasuke remembered the man with long white hair and round specs. "And he's a hardcore conformist. He'll never do what I tell him as long as it's not in the law."

A glimmer of hope touched Sasuke. Now, all he had to do was talk to Doctor Yakushi about stalling the news for Sakura. At once, he rose to his feet. "Do you know where I can find him?"

Tsunade reclined to her chair, looking up at Sasuke's form. "Unfortunately, no. That man is all over the place."

"Then maybe you can point me to his offi-" He was cut off rudely by the sound of his phone. Ino's name was displayed on the caller ID. He picked the call, bringing the device to his ear.

"Sakura is awake." She greeted, but the weight of her tone did not so much as punch that sentence with goodness. A good news delivered with a grave tone. Sasuke felt how dry and parched his throat had surprisingly become. Her next words strung him into action.

"Get here fast. It's not looking good."

And then a beep indicating she had disconnected the line.

"Who was that?" Tsunade eyed him like a hawk. With scrutiny.

"Ino." Sasuke answered, his voice a bit lower than before. "It's Sakura."

He dashed out of the room, leaving an almost panicking Tsunade behind him.

The turns and corners, doctors and nurses, patients and visitors were all blurry colours to him as he ran to his wife's room. What again this time? What now? And Sarada was right there. Was she having a seizure? Was she trying to say her last words? What in the heavens was going on in his life? Why did he always have to hold his breath every now and then in grave situations that involved those he loved and held dear?

His mind buzzed in harmony with his surroundings as he ran until he stopped at the door that confined his wife.

It was ajar. And his wife's face was angled his way, only blocked a little by a person in white coat.

 _Shit_. He thought, his heart racing like a drumline within his ribcages.

Her eyes finally caught his. Her emerald orbs were alive. They were wide. They were accusing. They were pained. They were teary.

 _Damn it!_

She knew.

The doctor trailed her gaze to face him. His facade was emotionless when he faced Sasuke before it quickly changed to a smile. "Good day, Mr Uchiha." He greeted and walked past him and out of the ward. Every nerve in his body urged him to punch the smile out of the stupid doctor's face. Was he that tactless? That he could not wait to break the news some other time.

Mebuki reached out to hold her daughter's good hand, but Sakura's eyes remained pinned on Sasuke. The male Uchiha covered the remaining space between them, eyes never leaving hers in his strides.

Ino excused herself and Sarada with a lame excuse. But no one paid them attention.

"Sakura."

Tsunade called from the entrance. Only then did she break the eye contact and let the tears fall. But as soon as she had regarded her, she returned her attention to Sasuke, who looked guilt-ridden than ever. His spiky hair had fallen down on most sides but none obstructed his level of vision. Light bags were stashed underneath his eyes indicating lack of sleep and lots of anxiety.

She could hardly recall the events that transpired that had led to her admission in the hospital. And as soon as she'd seen the morning light, she received news of a miscarriage. Her whole body ached. She could barely feel her muscles or flex them. The news rang loud and clear in her ears and the only person she'd wanted at the time was not even there. But the minute she saw him, she saw the truth in those obsidian eyes.

Releasing quiet gasps of air, she let Sasuke wrap his and around hers as she sobbed. "Is it true?"

Her voice sounded strange to both of them. They were raspy, new, odd. Yet no part of her body could offer her comfort. She noticed the arm Sasuke gripped let out tiny twinges of pain and the doctor had pointed out that she broke the said arm. The other one felt heavy and her neck ached a bit.

Her legs. Goodness! Her legs were foreign to her. Those parts amounted to 50% of the pain she was feeling all over her body. She wondered if they had really administered painkillers to her in the course of her treatment.

"How did this happen?" Her voice was once again gruff and raspy. "Wha-whah-what happened, Sasuke? How can we...we lost hi...God no!" She cried all the more, managing to move her two hands, although dangerously.

Sasuke noticed this. Grabbing her broken hand, he tried to calm her down before she did more damage to her arm but she still twisted and turned. "Sakura, stop it. You'll hurt yourself."

But she wasn't listening. Instead her cries escalated. "What did I dooo?" She used her good arm, finding strength from her mind, to hit her head, banging her head. Her eyes, closed, took no heed.

Mebuki intervened, grabbing her hand. "Sakura, stop doing that." She scolded but was ignored. It wasn't easy, seeing her only child like this. In so much anger, suffering and self-resentment. If only she could do something to take the pain away.

"I killed my baby!" She thrashed her body, her two hands finally held down beside her. "I did it. I didn't know and I killed him! Sasuke, I murdered our baby!" She bellowed.

"Hold her down." Tsunade ordered, injecting something into her drip.

Sasuke brought himself to her, hugging her tightly against his body, equally minding her injured arm as he held it in place while she tried pushing him off.

"No, you didn't kill him." He said soothingly into her ears, hoping it would soothe her. "You did no such thing."

Shaking her head in his embrace, she whimpered, not listening to anyone. "It's all my fault."

Sasuke was quick to respond. "No, it isn't. Don't blame yourself for this, Sakura."

She quietened down a bit. Her body relaxed with his and so did the nerve in her head. Sasuke could feel her weight loosen underneath their tight embrace. "I'm so sorry." She whimpered. "I'm sorry, baby."

What had she done? She asked herself. How did she enter this mess. The doctor told her she fell from the stairs. And when she tried remembering what happened, all memory became blank.

Slowly, she felt herself slipping out of consciousness until the world became a wall of black.

"What did you give her?" Mebuki asked Tsunade.

"Something to make her sleep."

* * *

"How did she take it?" Ino asked, peeping through the glassy frame in the middle of the closed door. Sarada was just beside her sleeping mother, sprouting trivial stories to Mebuki.

Sasuke sighed, the earlier scene replaying in his head. "Bad. She cried a lot and couldn't stop tossing and turning."

"So, Miss Tsunade had to sedate her." Ino stated, picturing a full grip of what transpired. "What will happen now, Sasuke? With a reaction like this, who knows what will happen next."

A figure joined the two in the hallway. Sasuke regarded the frame of Kabuto Yakushi, Sakura's doctor with cold undertoned livid eyes. "My apologies, Mr Uchiha. I heard your wife didn't take the news so well." He feigned with an expression Sasuke described as smug and untrue. "However, I believe I delivered it in the nicest manner possible."

Ino stepped up, her brows crunched in both understanding for the doctor and controlled anger. "I understand that it's part of your job and all but as a doctor, as one who knows her personally in this hospital, shouldn't you have laid back a little?"

The white haired doctor closed his eyes, assimilating what she said with a little smile. "Point of correction Miss, I don't know doctor Uchiha on a personal level. And I acted according to protocol. She woke up, I checked her vital signs, she asked what her condition was and I told her. Hiding the truth would have been futile." He explained, his eyes daring Sasuke's at the last part. Like it were some hidden message for him.

Ino huffed. Annoyed and forlorn. She understood that the doctor could hardly be blamed for this. Sakura had her own mental state. It had been damaged before but it still was active. Keeping her in the dark about something like this could have serious repercussions in the future.

"As a doctor, I lack sympathy for something like this. Don't forget that a complete healing process requires acceptance. Please, understand where I'm coming from."

Sasuke remained in his spot. Biting his tongue in place before his emotions got the better of him. He wasn't in the mood for all this. If he blamed the doctor as well, what difference was he and his mother inlaw who shoved accusing fingers at whoever she deemed fit. In retrospect, he knew that the anger he was feeling was for no one but himself. All those years of encouraging his wife to quit her anti-depressants, of making her believe she was okay, of overlooking the times she was paranoid; the times she needed actual help. He regretted all of them. Because he'd given into faith that she was well and nothing could break her emotional wall. Until recently, when she started her tirade again about ghosts and demons, worse than ever before. He'd told himself that the first time he brought a shrink was just for clarity's sake. So he could ensure that the phase would pass and that she'd be well in no time.

He brought this upon himself. He brought this upon Sakura. Their recent fights centered on their house being haunted. Of all things a couple should fight about! It made him realize just how deep her problem was that he had overlooked. Just how serious her psychosis had become. And now, adding the shocking news of her miscarriage to her already deranged mindset would set her frail mind off. To him, everything about her thinking was synonymous to a ticking time bomb. One wrong move and her entire being would blow up.

"I'm sorry, but I have serious matters to attend to. Page me whenever she wakes up." The doctor left.

The ceiling. That same ceiling she saw the number of times she woke up. It was becoming really annoying. Her body was still stiff as ever. Kabuto- she suddenly remembered his name- had checked up on her, giving every other person in the room the confirmation that they all waited for. That she was okay and healthy.

Her daughter hovered over her time after time. Her mother sat beside her, blabbing nonsensical things about how all was going to be well. Sasuke had seemingly gone to buy food for everyone. She wished he was still there with her.

As far as memory served her well, she remembered that day. When she'd gotten off the phone with Ino who persuaded her to go to a restaurant or something with her. She had rejected her offer, was about to leave before it all went blank.

She fell. Hard.

But that was all she could remember.

It was dark outside. Evening, probably. Tsunade knocked her out cold. Not that it took away the feeling she felt upon receiving that news in the morning. Kabuto's words, resounding, still left that knot in her throat. Her eyes stung with unshed tears. She compared the soreness of her body from the morning she woke up to now. The former was better. Now, her body ached. Her legs were heavy and painful. She stressed her broken arm also when she threw that fit.

"Mama, why are you crying?" Sarada looked with pity. Almost sad herself. Sakura twisted her face towards her daughter's direction, the only action her neck could perform. Afraid that she'd realise more pain if she moved any further. The tiny finger belonging to her daughter wiped the tear that dropped on its own.

Pressure rested on her other side. Wrinkly hands wrapped around her good arm again. It was her mother. She knew. But wondered what the woman was doing at her side. Silently, with a voice she only muttered to her daughter, she called. "Sakura, honey."

Distinct confusion and sadness was all Sakura could see on Sarada's face. She could hardly forget how she fought for her daughter. But why? It felt like a little piece of her memory was kept blurry. Like she had a final piece of the puzzle to fill in. Question was, where was that piece? Emerald eyes searched the small round face or her daughter's; her onyx eyes and black hair. She sobbed. Angry and frustrated. Not getting the answers she was seeking.

Sarada's brows creased the more at her mother's outburst. "Mama?" She called out unsure of what to do. This was, after all, the first time she had seen her mother act this way. "Stop crying." She urged, pushing the upper part of her mother's broken arm. New twinges of hot pain; a sensation similar to being pricked by millions of pins, assaulted the rest of her arm, but it played no part in the way her cry intensified. With new profound strength, she bit her lips, swallowing whatever outburst on the verge of awakening.

Sarada was here. Her child was here. Realizing the harsh truth that there would have been another addition to the family still drew more tears to her closed eyelids, still, she put up the strong front. For her daughter's sake. She shut her eyes to her daughter's face, her mother's and that stupid ceiling. Quiet, calm strides echoed around the entrance of the room until it stopped just at the sill of the open door before turning to long panicked strides. She felt weight on her hand on instant before the sound of her husband rang in her ears. "What's wrong?" He'd come back with the food he'd manged to buy after scouting the vicinity, just to meet this tense atmosphere. He noticed the way Sarada kept shaking her mother by her injured arm and immediately stopped the girl, drawing her hand carefully away from her mother's.

"Mama won't stop crying." She said nearly teared up.

Dark onyx eyes, worried and tired gazed the woman on the bed. He set the package he'd bought neatly on the floor beside him before holding Sakura. She still left her eyes closed, afraid that her resolve would weaken if she saw the Uchiha. Mebuki took action. She walked in slow, aged steps over to her granddaughter, holding her by the hand and quietly ushered her out of the room.

Sarada, although reluctant all at once, drank in a sight of her mother once more before following her grandmother out of the room, leaving a trail of soft whimpers. Sasuke used their exit as his cue. He shook her gently by her shoulder, nudging her to open her eyes. "Sarada is out. You can open your eyes now."

Without delay, repressed emotions burst out with force. Her lips opened to produce the one sound Sasuke hadn't heard in a long time. Even when she was in labor, her cries were on a whole different level. Those were painful screams and cries. These were painful, bitter tears of agony. He let them flow, offering support by massaging her stiff and awfully cold hand. Her face was scrunched up uglily. He saw how she managed with great difficulty to bring her good arm to her face to cover her already distorted face. Still, he kept quiet and let it flow. Only God knows how much of a headache she'll get after this in addition to her broken state. He pressed a little remote by the bedside and the bed lifted itself up a little until she laid in a reclined manner to him. At least, she looked like she was sitting up and not lying on her back facing the ceiling.

She finally calmed down after a few minutes. Her arm blocked her eyes from him so he could only see her face from her nose downwards. Her sobs quieted down. Now she hiccupped. Drained to the core, she calmed her heartbeat. Her head rammed painfully. She sniffed and hiccupped, willing the rest of her body to be steady. It was Sasuke who handled the rest. Rising to his feet, he peeled her hand off her face and wiped her thick tears away with a handkerchief. "Do you feel better now?"

Her eyes remained closed. Her chest hiked up and down in a steadying manner before her breathing finally levelled. Only soft sniffs and light hiccups made it to Sasuke's eyes, indicating that she had calmed down a lot. "Sakura, look at me." He cajoled but she shook her head a little.

He sighed. "Open your eyes." His tone was soft, caring.

Gradually, she did as requested, peering emerald eyes open. Her eyes were red and heavy, and dull even. Sasuke's heart tore at the sight of her. She appeared weak and drained. This was the first time he'd seen her like this. Now that he got what he wanted from her, he was lost on how to proceed. What could we possibly say to her? As he racked his mind for the next words to speak, Sakura beat him to it. "What...How did it happen?"

Her voice was croaky, rough and shaky.

"I don't know. I just came home and saw you on the floor." His eyes searched for a reaction, for anything that will make her more animated than she looked. But he got nothing. She wasn't even looking at him but at the space beyond her feet, with far, empty jade eyes. "You met me there..." She stated, as if in a trance. How did she get there, she wondered.

Sasuke watched her intently, not breaking his gaze even as he sat on the chair beside her. "You don't remember anything?" He began carefully, approaching the topic with finesse. Her eyes lowered to her feet, away from the ceiling were they had agazed. Her breath was completely normal but she was depleted of strength. "Did something happen before you fell, Sakura?" Sasuke asked once more in search of the confirmation Tsunade needed to prove her theory right.

She thought deep at what he saying, reeling her mind to the day before everything went black. She got of the phone with Ino and was about to leave the house. She remembered how the world tumbled before her face. The whirling sensation she felt on that day made her stomach churn. She was aware that there was one important detail that her fogged mind was missing.

"Did someone push you?" Sasuke's question ended a reverie. This time, she finally summoned enough courage to look at him. He looked worse for wear. She did this to him and it hurt her even more. "Sakura?" He pressed, appearing more apprehensive and curious than ever.

"I don't know." She managed to bit out. And then, something flashed to memory. She squinted her eyes, trying to recall what happened once again, as if that was what she had not been doing since she woke up. But this time, the scenario playing in her head had shed more light to her story because of Sasuke's answer. "But I think there was someone there."

Sasuke swallowed. The moment of truth had arrived. He remained silent as she processed what she was about to say. "I got off the phone after talking to Ino...left the room and was about to go down the stairs..."

She paused, shifting her eyes to the ceiling once more. "It got cold all of a sudden then..."

Sasuke did not realize it, but he was already at the edge of his seat, eager to hear her side of the story. "Then what?" He perused.

Then a jolt. She remembered how cold she felt. And that last minute observation she made before hitting the floor. That presence. That aura. That force. Her eyes widened in realization before her words slipped out unintentionally, breathlessly. "Then a push."

Anger and pain crossed Sasuke's features but she did not look at him again. "Someone pushed you?" He was livid. How could he have been so foolish to not check the house? Or not know anything? Her widened orbs remained plastered on the ceiling. Breathless and certain, she said in a rough whisper. "She did it."

Sasuke barely caught her words. "What?"

"She pushed me."

"Who?"

At long last, she paid him the required attention, flashing panicked, angry and frightful eyes at him. "Would you believe me if I told you?" Sasuke had a hunch about where she was going. Her relapse were things she was scared he wouldn't believe. Her posing this question at him clearly meant it was what he thought it was- her make believe supernatural creature.

"Tell me." He still continued, praying that his hunch was wrong.

"Sasuke, you won't believe me but she did it."

"Who?"

She tried to sit up or move, Sasuke wasn't sure but he knew she was restless. "Suki."

He frowned. The name sounded vaguely familiar. He was grateful that she did not speak of some monster or demon like he expected. Instead, he calmed his nerves and tried a proper dialogue. "Who's Suki?"

"Sarada's playmate." Now, that former apprehension hooked him again. It was too early for him to celebrate. He came to this realization when he heard what she said after that. "The doll." As if hit by a brick, he remembered. That little thing his daughter grew fond of since she was little. Something he hadn't seen with the child of recent. That was what his wife accused of pushing her? Depressed, he racked both his fingers through his raven locks. "A doll?" He whispered to himself but she caught it. "A doll pushed you, Sakura?" After succeeding in hauling herself up on the bed, she chanced a look at him but his face was hidden from her.

"Not the doll. The spirit I have been telling you about. Ask Sarada, she talks to her. She's real, Sasuke." She said, desperate for him to believe her. "The doll was possessed by the spirit of the demoness."

Rough hands racked through raven locks angrily. He dragged his hair so hard that Sakura thought he'd injured himself. He rose to his feet before she knew it and began to pace at the centre of the room. "Tell me, does your head hurt? The doctor said you were concussed. Maybe this is a side effect or something."

"You're not listening to me!" She shouted, trying to get him to stop his movement. He finally stopped and rounded on her. "Of course I'm listening to you, Sakura. That's why I need to know if you're in some serious pain, so that I can get the doctor."

Shocked, she covered her face with her good arm before bursting out in another bout of fresh frustrated tears. "You think I made this up!?"

"Sakura, I don't know what to think anymore." He stopped before her, squeezing the bar of the bed that ensured her feet did not go pass the length of the furniture. "What would you do if you were in my shoes?"

"I'd believe you." She said amidst trail of tears. "I won't blow you off completely, but take you serious for once."

Disbelieving, he shook his head, brought his right hand to his face and rubbed his face so hard out of unadulterated anger before pacing the room once again. He tried his best to contain whatever emotions he was feeling but still wanted to have this conversation. Sakura watched him closely, his face was concealed by his dark raven locks, so she could not understand what he must be feeling. Perhaps she mad a mistake by telling him. She has never for once beaten him when it came to this matter. It only ended with emotional fights. That is why her heart sunk at what he said next. "If you keep this up, I won't be able to protect you."

He said in a low hushed tone but Sakura was quick to hear it. "What? What are you saying, Sasuke?"

He stopped his pacing and stood before her again. "Just stop this please, Sakura."

"I do not need you to protect me!" She almost yelled, red eyes brimming with fresh tears. "All I want is that you believe me. Is that so hard?" Her voice shook at the end, introducing a heaving Sakura once again. "We lost our child, Sasuke, to that monster. I wouldn't make up a story if it wasn't true."

She saw a mix of emotions in her husband's bust. Pain, anger, despair and pity. He looked at her with those expressions all in one. "This isn't a movie or a fictional story, Sakura. This is real life. Demons do not exist in real life. As your husband, I've tried this much to understand you but it's impossible." He spoke monotonously. His voice, low, sad and caring. "Sarada has outgrown her toy and even she does not speak of the doll in the same manner with which you speak. She's just five years old. No one will query her for her make believe friends. But you, Sakura, no one will believe. Because you've grown past that stage."

The moment of truth was now. She had to see reality herself. "You know what everyone thinks? They think you need help. I've tried to persuade them otherwise but you've done nothing but push my hand." A few tears rushed down Sakura's face as she listened. Oh how she felt betrayed by her own lover. What more with the rest of her family. "I tried to find proof, you know. To believe you. But nothing came out as true. So please, don't give them this reason to take you away from me. From Sarada. We lost a child. I know it's too much to bear but attributing a supernatural being to the loss of our child will do more harm than good to you."

"Get out." Sakura hissed, not wanting to listen any further.

Sasuke took long strides to her side. However, she paid him no heed, still shooting daggers at the space he just left. "I didn't mean to hurt you-"

Unflinching, she spoke in tone slightly higher than the first. "Get out."

"You're not listening, Sakura. If you tell any other person in this hospital what you just told me, they won't hesitate to do what's necessar-"

"And what is necessary? Locking me up in a mental hospital? For saying the truth? Sasuke, I am not delusional. I know what I saw. I'm sure of it." She ranted, pounding her good arm on her bed for effect.

"Sakura, you're grieving."

"Get the fuck out."

"Christ! You're not making this any easier for me."

"Glad we both feel that way." She hissed at his face. "Leave."

Conceding, he left her side, nodding. "Fine."

She began to cry again, closing her eyes until she heard the door open and close after him. "Just go." Just as she thought, it was useless telling him. And it would be the same if she told any other person. She cried the more at the thought. Her belief was hers and hers alone. Why would they hold her up to what she assumed was true and judge her for it.

* * *

Mebuki did not say a word. She heard Sakura's outbursts whenever they got loud and Sasuke's whenever he was angry. So she took her granddaughter as far away from the vicinity as possible. Sarada did not look comfortable staying with her and she thought the little girl would have preferred staying with her parents but that was not an option for Mebuki.

After waiting for what seemed like an hour but was really just thirty minutes, she spotted Sasuke as he made his way to the cafeteria where she was with Sarada. His face was distant, angry and pitiful. It was a wonder how he thought of finding them here. Even as his mind seemed displaced as he walked in a sluggish manner. Sarada spotted him and was down from her seat instantly. She ran over to her father and stopped just before him, unsure of how to approach him. He stopped in his track the moment his eyes landed on her and he lifted her up to his chest.

He snapped himself out of his train of thoughts and strode over to his mother in-law who remained seated. "Have you eaten?" He asked as he sat down opposite her, balancing Sarada on his lap.

Mebuki shook her head. After her daughter woke up, she fought with herself on how to make peace with her son-in-law. She had been insensitive when her daughter was in a near-death state, had been inconsiderate and annoying. Somehow, she wished she could take back all that she had said to him. Her pride, however, was stronger than her sympathy.

"Should I order? I left the food I bought in the room."

"No no." She declined, already sure of what had transpired between them. "I'm not hungry. But make your little girl eat something. She told me she doesn't like hospital food."

"Is that true Sarada?" The little Uchiha rested her head on his chest, sulking in affirmation. She was drained as it looked.

"Will you eat noodles? I'll prepare them for you at home."

She nodded. "Goodness, how long will she stay before she goes home to eat?" Mebuki asked with motherly love. Sasuke noticed this and was grateful. Usually, she would have said that in a spiteful manner at him but her entire gesture was one of care and serenity.

"Not long. We're leaving now."

Sarada was quick to react. "But what about mama?"

"She's... sleeping. Your grandma will stay with her for the night."

"But..but I want to see her." She protested.

"You'll see her tomorrow. Right now, she told me to take you home and feed you properly." He explained. She whined at first before complying. Mebuki watched their exchange and let him do as he pleased.

Sasuke stood up with Sarada in his arms. "Goodnight." He said with the little respect he showed almost everyone. Mebuki nodded in response.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

The next chapter might be Sasuke-centered. Let us see his developments on the Suki issue. His relationship with Sakura is always rocky. Can you believe that? They even had the same argument in the hospital! I mean, he should at least think that there may be some truth behind his wife's paranoia.

Stay tuned to see what happens next.


End file.
